Dear Brother
by kosmiik
Summary: Four clans surround Hawk's Talon Peak. Steamclan, living beneath the forest in the safety of the hot springs, welcomes two apprentices into its ranks: Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw, two brothers. One boisterous and ambitious, the other quiet and filled with self-doubt. A hidden monster lurks beneath the surface of the pool as trouble brews within the clans.
1. Allegiances & Prologue

**Hey everyone who happened to click on this fanfiction! I'm kosmiik, the author! Below is a list of allegiances and beneath that is the prologue. I would really appreciate it if you read both and** ** _maybe_** **left a review!**

 **Thanks!**

* * *

 **STEAMCLAN**

 _Steamclan is one of the four clans to surround Hawk's Talon Peak, a large, jutting mountain surrounded by forests, plains, mesas, and much more. Steamclan lives in the Great Oak Forest, which spans not only Steamclan's territory but Oakclan's territory as well, including spreading into a bit of Hollowclan's territory. The only territory to NOT be, in some way, connected to the Great Oak Forest is Hailclan, far to the northeast._

 _Steamclan's territory is littered with small "water spitters,", thanks to Hawk's Talon Peak being what the warriors call a "Fire Spitter." Sometimes, very rarely, Hawk's Talon Peak with become very angry and spit fire into the night sky. This is seen as a sign from Starclan, and it's considered a very bad omen. The last time Hawk's Talon Peak spat fire, seven eigths of all of the clans perished; the rest were left to rebuild them, and the clans have flourished ever since._

 _One of the most unique aspects of Steamclan is that it's territory is also riddled with glistening pools of water, steamy to te touch and an excellent place to retire after a long day. The natural Hot Springs benefit all cats of all clans, so one noble Steamclan leader, Falconstar, has made an exception to border rules: Any cat who has wishes to be in the springs may do so, but must be accompanied by Steamclan guards to ensure that no other part of the warrior code is broken._

 _Their main diet includes birds, voles, mice, and the occasional rabbit. Because their territory is right on the edge of Oakclan's, and Oakclan cats have taught themselves how to swim thanks to the Swishing Trout River, they will sometimes eat fish, for Oakclan cats love to bring some of their catches over to appease Steamclan cats and allow them to stay in the Hot Springs a little longer than allowed. Despite Steamclan allowing other clans inside it's borders, it is actually very good with interclan relationships, as many cats follow the code relentlessly thanks to Falconstar's decision to open up their borders._

 _Their camp is placed in the Great Oak Forest, in a cave created by years of weathering by the nearby Swishing Trout River. Below, the cave room is filled with small hot spring pools, which glisten in the sunlight and provide warmth for the winter. Each cat section has its own pools: the Apprentice's Pool, which is used only as a great reward for doing something remarkable; the Warrior's Pool, used almost exclusively by senior warriors; the Medicine Cat Pool, where the Medicine Cat can go whenever the times get tough and relaxation is a must; The Elder's Pool, where the elders sit to warm their old bones; and the Leader's Pool, situated high above the rest of the camp. The nursery does not have its own pool for fear of the tiny kits drowning. The warrior's den is embedded deep within the rock, and in the winter, steams to create a nice, warm haven for the warriors. The Leader's Den is just above the Leader's Pool, which is just above the Hot Spring's Paw, a formation of rock that juts out one side of the cave and is where the leader sits to tell important anouncements. Outside of the cave is a small cluster of rocks, where some cats like to sun themselves in the warm summers. The Apprentice's Den and Nursery are both located under the Hot Spring's Paw, and just above them is a ledge where the Medicine Cat can hop up and down from their den. the Elder's den is all the way on the other side of the small cave, with the Elder's Pool just beside it._

 **LEADER: Wheatstar**

 _Wheatstar is a very kind and wise ruler, and doesn't let the other clans entering her territory faze her. She has a deep scarlet pelt, almost ruby in color, flecked with lighter shades, making her pelt look like flowing wheat. Her eyes are the color of grass, and show her intelligence. She has a thin, wiry tail tipped in white, white paws, and a white muzzle, as well as one white ear. A thin scar stretches over her shoulder as a result of her fighting an eagle to save her clan._

 **DEPUTY: Mossfang (Apprentice: Sandpaw)**

 _Mossfang is very tough on any apprentice who comes his way. He was made deputy because he was always the one to advise his clanmates on their decisions. His pelt is thick and white, a sharp contrast to Wheatstar. His dark, moss-green eyes are harsh, but show respect for his clanmates._

 **MEDICINE CAT: Darkseed**

 _Darkseed is an all black tom with piercing blue eyes. Despite his cold demeanor, he is actually very kind, with a soothing voice that can make any cat in pain at ease. His skill as a medicine cat is astounding, and is all comes down to the fact that he was mentored by Hazelface, a well-known medicine cat, almost famous, of her time._

 **WARRIORS**

( _she_ _-cats who are not nursing and toms over six moons old)_

 **-Oatbelly**

 _Oatbelly is a dark golden colored tabby tom with blue eyes. His underbelly is a lighter shade of gold._

 **-Rowanleap (Apprentice: Fuzzypaw)**

 _Rowanleap is a deep russet-colored tom with powerful, brown hindlegs. His eyes are the color of a sunrise, a light amber._

 **-Pineholly**

 _Pineholly is a dark brown tabby she-cat with cream feet and a cream underbelly. Her eyes are golden amber._

 **-Heatherfur (Apprentice: Sagepaw)**

 _Heatherfur is a diluted tortoiseshell she-cat with glowing green eyes._

 **-Shiningeyes (Apprentice: Tigerpaw)**

 _Shiningeyes is a tortoiseshell she-cat, with half of her face being ginger tabby with a blue eye and the other half being a dark brown, almost black with a green eye._

 **-Vixenleg**

 _Vixenleg is a she-cat who is identical to Rowanleap, but she does not have brown legs and her eyes are blue._

 **-Leafclaw (Apprentice: Stoatpaw)**

 _Leafclaw is a light brown tabby tom with white feet and long, curved claws. His eyes are green._

 **-Deerheart**

 _Deerheart is a cream and white tabby she-cat with blue eyes._

 **APPRENTICES**

 _(Apprentices are young cats over six moons old training to become warriors.)_

 **-Tigerpaw (Mentor: Shiningeyes)**

 _Tigerpaw is a full white tom with a dark brown tabby pattern splotched here and there on his pelt. The rest is white. His eyes are blue._

 **-Sagepaw (Mentor: Heatherfur)**

 _Sagepaw is a misty gray she-cat. Her fur is very fuzzy and her eyes are green._

 **-Fuzzypaw (Mentor: Rowanleap)**

F _uzzypaw is identical to Sagepaw in every way except for her eyes. The two are almost impossible to tell apart, resulting in much confusion, if one does not look for Fuzzypaw's amber eyes._

 **-Sandpaw (Mentor: Mossfang)**

 _Sandpaw is a light ginger tabby tom with green eyes._

 **-Stoatpaw (Mentor: Leafclaw)**

 _Stoatpaw is a thick-furred white tom with blue eyes. He is often very clumsy and doesn't see himself becoming a warrior._

 **QUEENS**

( _Queens are she-cats nursing or expecting kits.)_

 **-Brambleoak**

 _Brambleoak is a light gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes. She is the mother of Leafclaw's kits, her first litter being Fuzzypaw and Sagepaw, her second litter being Hollykit (a dark gray she-kit), Cloudkit (a light gray ticked tomkit), and Larkkit (a deep, dark brown she-kit)._

 **-Mistyspots**

 _Mistyspots is a white she-cat with light gray spots. Her eyes are blue. She is the mother of Oatbelly's kits, the first litter being Sandpaw and the second litter not being born yet._

 **ELDERS**

( _Elders are warriors who have become old and have retired.)_

 **-Kalethroat**

 _Kalethroat is a dark gray tom with green eyes._

 **-Mousefang**

 _Mousefang is a small, brown tabby she-cat with a nasty bite and blue eyes._

 **-Blackclaw**

 _Blackclaw is a withered white tom with black feet and very light blue eyes._

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

* * *

Tigerkit awoke to yowling.

His sibling, Stoatkit, was yowling painfully in the nursery. Blinking his eyes, Tigerkit saw his mother, Pineholly, sitting anxiously over her kit, while Darkseed, the medicine cat, worked swiftly to remove something from his paws. Tigerpaw immediately shot up, racing over to his mother.

"Momma!" he shouted, and Pineholly swiveled her head, turning to face her kit. His eyes were wide as he watched Stoatkit cry. "What happened? Is... Is Stoatkit okay?"

"Oh, Tigerkit, Stoatkit just got a tiny rock stuck in his pad!" she meowed, turning over to her other kit. "Oh, sweetie, I know it hurts, but Darkseed will take care of it! I promise, okay?"

Stoatkit nodded through the tears, his fluffy white pelt sticking out in all directions from fear. Finally, with one swift motion of his claw, Darkseed swiped the rock out of his pad. Stoatkit wailed loudly, before quieting down and glancing at his paw. Tigerkit leaned forward, and he saw a tiny splotch of blood on his brother's soft pink pad. He watched Darkseed chew something quickly in his mouth before spitting it out and pasting it to Stoatkit's paw.

"Now you," he growled, jabbing the kit in the chest. Tigerkit scowled at Darkseed. He was incredibly mean! "Don't ever go near the warriors den until you're a warrior! Your soft pads can't handle the rough rock like theirs can yet. Pineholly, make sure Stoatkit stays off his feet for the remainder of the day." giving Stoatkit a lick on the forehead, he spun around and left the nursery.

"I don't like Darkseed," Tigerkit mewed, his fur fluffing out in anger. He rushed up to Stoatkit, who was looking at his paw. Tigerkit licked his brother's cheek, leaning into him. "Cheer up, Stoatkit! You're all better now!"

"Nuh uh uh, Tigerkit, Stoatkit! It's your nap time. Come here, you two!" she leaned down an gently picked them both up by the scruff, much to Tigerpaw's dismay. He squirmed around until he was nestled safely with Stoatkit against his mother's belly, and fell asleep.

* * *

Tigerkit always had nice dreams. This time, he dreamed about Stoatkit gobbling up a vole and his mother's soft purr as she cleaned them. He dreamed of Darkseed and his nose scrunched up.

Suddenly, as he was dreaming about being Tigerstar, fantastic leader of Steamclan, with Stoatkit at his side as deputy, a great wooshing air appeared and he turned hi head to gaze at the most magnificent gray cat ever. He'd never met the tom, but the tom seemed to know him.

"Tigerkit." the great tom meowed, bowing his head. His pelt sparkled with stars, and all Tigerkit could do was awkwardly bow. "Tigerkit, there is something I need you to hear." he stalked forward, and Tigerkit stiffened. Was this a dream? He was frozen in place as the tom's mouth opened to speak.

"Tigerkit, I must speak to you on behalf of Starclan. Close the borders. Do not let them in. Don't let them in."

Tigerkit was too scared to speak. Even though he was barely four moons old, there was no doubt about it: something was wrong. Tigerkit felt a gurgle build in his throat as the tom repeated, "Don't let them in! Don't let them in!"

The gurgling became intense, and suddenly Tigerkit was plunged underwater, thinking he'd been thrown into one of the pools. Except... he wasn't Tigerkit. Looking down, he wore the white and silver tabby pelt of a cat unknown to him. And his lungs were on fire. His eyes widened; this was the most realistic dream he'd ever had, and he wasn't even close to being an apprentice!

He opened his mouth to scream, but soon realized it was no use as his mouth filled with the imaginary water. His scream became inaudible, and he felt himself falling, faster and faster.

His eyes began to close as he took in the darkness around him, the light from above fading to black.

 _"Don't let them in!"_

* * *

Tigerkit awoke with a start and immediately began to whimper. His nestled close to his mother, who awoke with a start and began to console her kit.

"Tigerkit! Tigerkit, what's wrong?" Pineholly's voice was soft and soothing, and Tigerkit began to cry. She licked up his tears fast, her soft tail curling around him. "Tigerkit, sweetie, tell momma what's wrong!"

"I-I had a nightmare..." he cried, looking away. "The pools, and a big, scary monster..." he shivered, leaning close to his mother as she licked up his tears. "Momma, I'm scared!"

"Shh, it's okay, Tigerkit. 'Twas nothing but a dream. I'm here, I'm here." She soon calmed down Tigerkit, who had lulled back into sleep. Satisfied, Pineholly gave Stoatkit a lick on his forehead, turning back around to fall asleep in her nest once more.

* * *

 **Hope you guys liked it, don't be afraid to drop a review! I'll try to develop an update schedule, but for now it'll just be whenever I finish a chapter.**

 **EDIT 5/18/17: That's the first chapter! Thanks to a very lovely reviewer, I was told that I should combine the prologue and alliegiances list so that I wasn't going against fandom rules! So, that's what I did. This is the revised version!**

 **Pleeease can we make it to at least 5 (maybe even 10) reviews? I'd appreciate it sooo much!**


	2. Chapter 1: Water Spitters

**Here's chapter one, folks. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Stoatkit was extremely nervous. Then again, he was always nervous. Being nervous was his thing. He turned his white head to the side of him, seeing his brother, Tigerkit. His blue eyes sparkled as their leader, Wheatstar, addressed them; Stoatkit couldn't feel the same way as his brother.

He glanced behind him, at the nursery, towards his old home. He looked over at the apprentices, Fuzzypaw and Sagepaw, who became ones not too long after they were born. They'd be warriors any day now. And he saw Sandpaw, his eyes glaring at Tigerkit. Stoatkit watched him as he slunk away.

"... Stoatkit!"

The small white tom stumbled, his heart beating as he padded forward. He'd completely tuned out his leader, how shameful! His brother watched him and shouted eagerly, but Stoatkit couldn't feel their excitement. He said nothing as he tuned out his leader once more. "Stoatkit!" Wheatstar snapped, and the white tom glanced up at her with fearful eyes.

"Y-Yes?"

"Come forward, Stoatkit! It's your apprentice ceremony! Do you agree to all of the oaths I have just pledged to you?"

Oh. Right. The apprentice ceremony. The day Stoatkit dreaded and feared, because he'd have to leave the comfort of Pineholly's side and go out into the world. He really didn't want to do that. That was so Tigerkit's thing, adventure. He'd much rather stay in the cave with the warm pools and the elders.

But, he knew he had no choice. He was training to become a warrior whether he liked it or not.

"... I-I do..." he mewled softly and painstakingly. Wheatstar nodded, closing her green eyes and continuing.

"Stoatkit, from now on, you shall be known as Stoatpaw. Your mentor will be Leafclaw." Stoatkit turned his head as he watched the slim brown warrior approach, flicking his tail and flashing his teeth in a somewhat catty smile. He watched Fuzzypaw and Sagepaw giggle a little bit, whispering together. Stoatkit shuddered. "May he pass on his strength and wisdom onto you."

Stoatpaw padded forward, touching noses with his mentor. The crowd gave a small cheer before quieting down. "Tigerkit!" Wheatstar snapped after the cheers, her eyes twinkling at the both of them. Tigerkit padded forward with a bounce in his step.

Stoatpaw went to sit next to Fuzzypaw and Sagepaw, his mentor sitting by Vixenfur. He watched Tigerkit become Tigerpaw and become apprenticed to Shiningeyes, the pretty she-cat with two faces. Stoatpaw cheered loudly for his brother, his eyes lighting up as he padded over.

"Stoatpaw! Tigerpaw! Stoatpaw! Tigerpaw!" the entire clan roared, and Stoatpaw cracked a crooked smile as his brother shouted in happiness beside him. He watched Shiningeyes light up at the sight of her excited apprentice.

Soon, the crowd dispersed. "See you later, Stoatpaw and Tigerpaw!" Fuzzypaw called, and Stoatpaw flicked one of his white ears before turning to his mentor. He never realized just how big Leafclaw was up close, but the brown tabby warrior wasn't grinning with malice. Instead, his gaze was cheerful as he eyed his apprentice.

"Stoatpaw, my first apprentice!" he crowed, and Stoatpaw glanced away shyly when he noticed Shiningeyes and Tigerpaw already leaving the cave. Lucky! He turned back to Leafclaw, who had been praddling on about him finally getting an apprentice. "... you'll love it!"

"What?" Stoatpaw meowed, but it was too late. The fluffy white apprentice had to scramble on all fours to keep up with his mentor. He watched Leafclaw continue trying to banter as he dug his claws into the rock of the cave and heaved himself up and into the outside world. Stoatpaw had to stifle a giggle when he watched Vixenleg and Oatbelly practically trample him on their way in from a hunting patrol.

"Come on, Stoatpaw! Climb up the cave wall!" Leafclaw called, his eyes twinkling with delight. Stoatpaw's heart quickened when he watched Leafclaw disappear over the ledge with a flick of his tail. He gulped, padding up to the rocky cave wall.

He looked around, surprised to not see Tigerpaw. "Leafclaw? Is Tigerpaw up there?" Stoatpaw called, his voice shaking. To his dismay, Leafclaw didn't reappear. _Oh well,_ he thought, putting a paw in one of the divets in the rocky wall. _I-I guess I can climb it..._

By the time he heaved his plump white body over the cave wall's top, it was sunhigh and Leafclaw had already caught a squirrel. Stoatpaw's chest was heaving as Leafclaw just stood up like it was nothing and padded into the forest, beckoning his apprentice with his tail.

"Leafclaw!" Stoatpaw wailed, struggling to keep up with the warrior. "Leafclaw, please! Slow down, I can't keep up-"

Stoatpaw stopped dead in his tracks as the trees thinned, revealing Hawk's Talon Peak in all it's glory. His heartbeat quickened once more as a breeze rushed through the forest, and he was sure he was going to have a heart attack. Leafclaw was standing their, licking a paw tenderly before getting up and turning to Stoatpaw.

"Okay, Stoatpaw!" he meowed loudly, turning back around and crossing the clearing. "Come here. I'm going to teach you about Hawk's Talon Peak."

Stoatpaw padded up to his mentor and sat down, gazing at the peak. "Hawk's Talon Peak is the most noticable landmark for miles around. If you ever get lost, just look to the skies and see if you can see the peak." he lifted his brown tabby tail and pointed in the direction of a hill, upon which a huge, flowering pear tree sat, it's branches moving in the wind. "That's Hawk's Talon's tree. Hawk's Talon was the name of a noble tom responsible for moving the clans to the area and organizing our way of life. He was loved so much that the cats named the peak after him."

"Woah, and I thought Falconstar was famous!" Stoatpaw breathed, taking in the view. Leafclaw chuckled, before standing up. "Leafclaw? Are we gonna do anything apprentice worthy?"

"Yep!" Leafclaw meowed, heading off into the forest. "The water spitters and pools are over this way. When we reach them, I want you to stay very close to me. I think Heatherfur and Sagepaw are on duty today, so we'll go and see them."

The two went all the way to the water spitters, and found Shiningeyes and Tigerpaw there. "Tigerpaw!" Stoatpaw called, breaking into a run to meet his brother. All of a sudden, Leafclaw grabbed him by the scruff just as a huge jet of water exploded out of the ground, sending Stoatpaw into shock. Shiningeyes and Tigerpaw raced over immediately.

"Stoatpaw, what did I tell you? Stay close to me!" Leafclaw was angry, and Stoatpaw shrunk down, curling his tail around his feet. "Goodness, Stoatpaw! The water spitters can kill a cat, and I don't want to lose my first apprentice before I meet him!"

"I'm sorry, Leafclaw." Stoatpaw mewed quietly, guilt building up inside of him. "I-I'll stay close to you next time."

"Stoatpaw!" Tigerpaw meowed loudly, startling Stoatpaw. "Are you okay? That water spitter really had it out for you! You don't look hurt, just startled. Has Leafclaw taught you any warrior moves yet?" Stoatpaw was still shaken up and not really to answer his brother's questions.

"Tigerpaw!" Shiningeyes warned, and the patched brown tom shrunk back with a catty smile. Shiningeyes glared at her apprentice playfully before turning back to Stoatpaw. "It's okay, Stoatpaw. Now you know not to mess around with the water spitters. Leafclaw, would you two like to accompany us for a training lesson?"

Leafclaw purred deep in his throat, and Shiningeyes padded up right next to him. The two began off into the forest, a flick of their tails beckoning their apprentice's. Tigerpaw flashed a look at Stoatpaw, before he became a flash of white disappearing into the forest. Stoatpaw blinked, racing after his brother, his paws thudding on the forest floor.

Stoatpaw's entire body ached. All he wanted to do was sit down in his mother's nest with a nice thrush that Leafclaw caught. His mind reeled with questions. Since when did Tigerpaw become so fast, and so strong? Here was Stoatpaw, a fluffy white kit who was pudgier than a pigeon!

He padded into the nursery when a voice called out to him. "Stoatpaw! What're you doing, you're not a kit!" Stoatpaw whipped his head around to see Fuzzypaw's head sticking out of the Apprentice's Den, a smirk on her face as she lifted up a paw to hide her giggles. "C'mon! Tigerpaw's being hilarious!"

Stoatpaw felt something go tick, and he twitched his head to the side, before turning around and padding over to the Apprentice's Den. Climbing inside, there was just enough moss and feathers to form a nice, comfy nest right next to his brother and Sagepaw. Tigerpaw was sitting in his nest, slicing off bits of sparrow with his claws and flicking them into his mouth. The apprentices around him were howling with laughter.

Stoatpaw sat their awkwardly, eating Leafclaw's thrush. Then, Tigerpaw let out a loud belch, and even he began to guffaw uncontrollably. They must've been loud, because all of a sudden, there was a little scream when Leafclaw stuck his head inside the den.

"You apprentice's! The warriors are trying to _sleep._ I suggest you all should go to bed as well!" he flicked an ear, waiting for a response.

"Yes, Leafclaw," all of the apprentices meowed in unison, finishing their meals before snuggling up for the night. All Stoatpaw could think about was how cluttered the den seemed when he drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Stoatpaw's dreams became nightmares. He couldn't remember exactly what was happening, but it was dark, and he was scared. A feeling enveloped him that was so indescribable and burning that it tore him apart.

He never wanted to feel like that again.


	3. Chapter 2: Hunting

**Here we are with chapter two. I just really like this story and can't stop writing it ;U;**

* * *

Tigerpaw awoke in the Apprentice's Den, a nice change from the nursery. Pride swelled within him as he realized he was no longer a kit, and was going to be a warrior in six short moons! Standing up, he stretched his small, kit-like body out, feeling the tension in his legs build up when he crouched down. Man, he was worn out from yesterday's training!

He glanced across the den. Fuzzypaw, Sagepaw, and Sandpaw were nowhere to be seen; it was expected, since the three would become warriors soon, especially Sandpaw.

He looked down at Stoatpaw. His body was still pudgy from when he was a kit, and his ear twitched while he slept. Tigerpaw shook his head; his younger brother would need to get out of the kit world if he ever wanted to become deputy!

 _Deputy. Leader._ Tigerpaw felt something swell inside him, pushing past the pride and making his body tingle in an unbelievably pleasant way. The thought of being respected by his clanmates as leader tempted him. He wondered if the same feeling reached Stoatpaw's heart.

"Tigerpaw!" a voice called, and the tom swiveled his head to the entrance of the den. Shiningeyes was their, her split face glowing in the greenleaf sunlight that fell from the mouth of the cave. "Mossfang put me on a hunting patrol. Would you like to join me? I'll teach you the hunting crouch!"

"Yes, Shiningeyes!" Tigerpaw meowed, walking towards her when he remembered Stoatpaw. He looked back at him.

"Want me to ask Leafclaw if he wants to come and bring Stoatpaw along?" Shiningeyes purred, and Tigerpaw whipped his head around, nodding furiously. Shiningeyes cracked a smile and left the den.

"Stoatpaw!" Tigerpaw meowed, bowling over his brother. "Wake up! Leafclaw and Shiningeyes are going to teach us how to hunt!" Stoatpaw lifted his white head, blinking the grogginess out of his eyes.

"Tigerpaw?"

Tigerpaw nodded, swatting his brother with his paw. "Yeah, so you'd better wake up!" he turned around, speeding out of the den. He almost ran into Rowanleap, who was walking out with Fuzzypaw. "Sorry!" he mewed quickly as he whizzed by, coming to a halt at the warrior's den.

"Tigerpaw, wait up! I just woke up and you're already speeding like your tail's on fire!" Stoatpaw shouted, and Tigerpaw gave a flick of his tail, telling his brother to hurry up. Shiningeyes suddenly appeared at the entrance with Leafclaw, who looked just as tired as Stoatpaw.

"Wow, Tigerpaw. You sure do seem eager to learn about the hunting crouch!" Leafclaw mused, his eyes shining. He then whipped his head up and saw Stoatpaw struggling to keep up, and he rushed over to help his apprentice. When the two met up with Tigerpaw and Shiningeyes, the warriors nodded and headed over to the wall.

"See you up there!" Shiningeyes called in a sing-song voice, before scrambling up the side of the cave along with Leafclaw. The way they did it so effortlessly filled Tigerpaw with energy.

"We have to climb this _again_?" Stoatpaw whined, his voice quiet as he began to curl in on himself. "I can't do this. Tigerpaw, I-I don't think I'm cut out to be a warrior. This... it's too much!"

"C'mon, Stoatpaw! You've only been an apprentice for a day, and you already don't wanna be a warrior?" he asked, bewilderment crossing his face. Tigerpaw became thoroughly shocked when Stoatpaw looked away guiltily.

Tigerpaw narrowed his eyes determinedly, and got down on all fours. "Here, Stoatpaw! Climb up on my shoulders, I'll help you get up!"

Stoatpaw put one paw on one of the ledges and the others on Tigerpaw's shoulders, and together, the two toms made it up the wall. Even Tigerpaw was heaving, but as soon as he saw the pride in Shiningeyes's eyes, he popped right back up like a blade of grass. Stoatpaw, not so much.

"Okay!" Shiningeyes said, looking between the apprentices. It was at that moment that Tigerpaw noticed Vixenleg and Pineholly, who were chatting. Pineholly looked towards her son and smiled.

"Stoatpaw, come on. Stand up!" Leafclaw coaxed him, and soon Tigerpaw and his brother were standing side-by-side. "It's okay, Stoatpaw. We'll cut down that baby fat you've got in a matter of minutes with this training!" Stoatpaw groaned.

The two warriors nodded their heads at Vixenleg and Pineholly, and the group set out. Tigerpaw's nose filled with the scents of the forest, a feeling he'd cherish always and never forget.

"Okay, guys. I've got hot spring duty with Deerheart at sunhigh, so I'm going to have to leaf the patrol early." Vixenleg explained, and the group accepted her decision. Tigerpaw glanced at Stoatpaw, who looked absolutely miserable. He moved over and bumped shoulders with him, causing Stoatpaw to jump.

"Oh, you scaredy cat!" Tigerpaw teased, rolling his eyes, but stopped when he saw Stoatpaw's ears flatten against his head. He quickly changed the subject. "So, Stoatpaw! What do you hope to catch?"

His brother looked down at his paws as the group took a turn. "With any luck, I might catch a few mice." he said quietly, and Tigerpaw nodded, smiling. This caused Stoatpaw to smile, and the two joked all the way to their training spot.

"Vixeneg and I will hunt around here. You two teach my kits how to hunt well!" Pineholly called, vanishing into the forest alongside the ginger she-cat. Stoatpaw stayed behind with Leafclaw as Tigerpaw and Shiningeyes walked off towards the forest.

Shiningeyes fell down into the hunting crouch, prowling around Tigerpaw. "This, Tigerpaw," she said quietly, her voice bordering a growl, "is the hunting crouch. Use it to catch small prey, like mice and voles. Try it now."

Tigerpaw fell down just like Shiningeyes had, and to his surprise, she shook her head and sat up. "Your tail is crooked! How are you ever going to maintain your balance with a crooked tail?" she asked, and Tigerpaw grimaced inwardly. She straightened out his tail out and leveled his hips, shaking her head. "Poor form, Tigerpaw! Your hips are lopsided."

After she'd finished working on his form, his muscles ached. She stepped back. "Good! Now _that's_ a proper hunting crouch." She turned her head and gasped. "Stay here, I need to go help Leafclaw. Practice getting in and out of the crouch, and take all of your weight off of your paws."

Tigerpaw spent a good while working on his form, and soon he felt somewhat comfortable with it, but his joints still ached. He also found it really hard to take all of his weight off of his paws; it felt so uncomfortable! He was sweating in the greenleaf sun by the time Shiningeyes returned.

"Okay, Tigerpaw. While Stoatpaw and Leafclaw work on perfecting his form, let's work on the killing strike. Now, get into hunting position." Shiningeyes ordered, and Tigerpaw fell down onto his forelegs, much to his dismay. "Now, take a few steps forward and jab with one of your forelegs. Scoop up the prey and bite it's neck, and _always_ remember to thank Starclan for your prey, and the animal for it's life."

Tigerpaw nodded, and after a few tries, he looked over at Stoatpaw. The white tom was faring pretty well, already having moved on to the killing strike like Tigerpaw. He still looked pudgy, but Tigerpaw's hopes lightening: maybe Stoatpaw would want to become a warrior and become deputy alongside him!

"Leafclaw! Stoatpaw! I think it's time we get some actual hunting done!" Shiningeyes called, and the two traipsed over. Stoatpaw was sweating just like he was, and the two brothers bumbed shoulders as they headed back into the forest. "Now, you two, take a deep breath. Tell me if you smell any prey, and then try to catch it."

Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw took a deep breath, giggling. When Shiningeyes glared at them, they stopped and became serious. Tigerpaw sniffed deeply and smelled... mouse! Sniffing some more, he followed the track and got into hunting position, his muscles aching.

He followed the scent to a tree, and looking forward, he saw a small mouse nibbling on a nut. He stalked forward, feeling eyes on him. When he was close enough, he dashed forward, striking with a paw. He thought he had it, but was disappointed to find no mouse in his claws.

"Good job, Tigerpaw!" Shiningeyes called from far away. Tigerpaw jumped, shocked at how far he had gone. "You put the weight back into your paws and the mouse felt you through the ground. Come back and try again."

Tigerpaw sighed; would this be his entire apprentice training?

* * *

By the time the sun began to set behind Hawk's Talon Peak, he and Stoatpaw had caught nothing. He concluded that hunting was not something he liked. Stoatpaw agreed, but didn't hate it. Tigerpaw felt jealousy well inside him when he saw Shiningeyes and Leafclaw pad back to the cave with three large pieces of prey in their jaws, but then reminded himself that they were warriors and he'd get it someday.

He stretched upon getting back into the cave. The descent into it was a lot easier than getting out, since you could hop down a series of rocks to the bottom. Only really big warriors, like Mossfang, were able to get out using those rocks.

He grabbed a fat mouse from the fresh kill pile, carrying it back to the apprentice's den with Stoatpaw's help. He entered ro see Fuzzypaw devouring a nice robin.

"Kesh tha yersef?" Tigerpaw asked, and Fuzzypaw looked at him quizzically. Dropping the mouse, Tigerpaw repeated, "Catch that yourself?"

Fuzzypaw nodded. "I was super lucky, too. I found it super high in a tree and almost fell out!" she laughed, and Tigerpaw joined in. He really liked Fuzzypaw; she was really nice. "Did you guys catch anything? I heard that you guys were practicing the hunting crouch."

Stoatpaw responded, shaking his head. "No, Tigerpaw hates it. It's kinda uncomfortable, but it's definitely not as bad as getting pummeled by Tigerpaw!" he ended with a laugh, and Tigerpaw pouted at him, laughing as well before digging into the mouse. It was delicious!

Tigerpaw was too tired to stay up, and retired to his nest early, along with Stoatpaw. He fell into an uneasy sleep when Sagepaw barged in, awaking him. She was shouting loudly and excitedly.

"Wheatstar's calling names for the gathering tomorrow!"


	4. Chapter 3: First Catch

**I'd really appreciate it if any readers would review this work! I'd like to know about mistakes and ways I can improve the story.**

* * *

Stoatpaw's head jerked up almost immediately. When he was a kit, he'd heard only stories of gatherings from talking to his father. Hundreds of cats, all squeezed into a tiny area. The thought frightened him. While Tigerpaw's face lit up in excitement, his turned downwards in a look of doom and fright.

Fuzzypaw entered into the apprentice's den, squeezing past her sister's excited form. She met Stoatpaw's eyes. "Aw, Stoatpaw! Don't be afraid! The gathering isn't even _tonight_. It's tomorrow! And don't forget, there's always the chance you don't go." she exclaimed, her tail swooshing back and forth excitedly. Sagepaw nodded, coming to stand beside her sister. As Stoatpaw looked at them, the resemblance made his head hurt.

Tigerpaw went up to Fuzzypaw and Sagepaw, exclaiming, "We have to go out there! I wanna see if I'm going!" Fuzzypaw and Sagepaw's faces lit up as they scrambled to get out of the den. Stoatpaw stifled a giggle as he heard Sandpaw yowling as the two she-cats trampled over him, followed by Tigerpaw. He entered, his ginger fur sticking out in all directions.

"Man, those three are too much! Oh, hi Stoatpaw." he grumbled, sitting down in his nest and smoothing his fur. The white tom looked at Sandpaw, and then looked at the entrance. Sandpaw stood suddenly, and Stoatpaw jerked back. "What are you, scared? Come on, Stoatpaw, let's go see the gathering results." with a flick of his tail, he left the den.

Stoatpaw didn't appreciate the insult from Sandpaw, but stood up anyways and followed him out of the den.

All of the clan was sitting beneath the Hot Spring's Paw, where Wheatstar and Mossfang sat, side by side. Stoatpaw looked up in awe at his father and his leader; their difference in size was astounding. Wheatstar was already speaking, so he and Sandpaw rushed to sit next to Fuzzypaw.

"... to go to the gathering." The crowd cheered, and Stoatpaw did as well, despite not hearing the rest of her speech. Wheatstar's eyes twinkled as the tip of her tail twitched, and she gazed out among the cats. Clearing her throat, she anounced, "The following are the cats going to the gathering. Mossfang, Darkseed, Deerheart, Pineholly, Shiningeyes, Heatherfur, Leafclaw, Fuzzypaw, Sagepaw, Sandpaw, Stoatpaw, and Tigerpaw." the selected cats cheered and whooped. "Everyone else, I expect you all to maintain the camp in a clean and suitable manner while I am gone."

After the anouncements were made, none of the apprentices were tired. Fuzzypaw and Sagepaw stayed up all night, giggling. Stoatpaw walked back first, casting a glance at the nursery. He saw Brambleoak, a queen who had just entered the nursery, staring out at the rest. He suspected the other queen, Mistyspots, was in there as well.

He was the last to enter the apprentice's den, and the first to go to sleep.

* * *

The next day, Leafclaw seemed distracted as they practiced in the clearing alongside Fuzzypaw and Rowanleap. Stoatpaw noticed this especially, because as he was practicing his forms for mice hunting. He would sit there and watch how Shiningeyes and Rowanleap acted, and the more Stoatpaw watched what his mentor was observing, the more he noticed it: Rowanleap and Shiningeyes seemed to be very friendly with one another, laughing and giggling while helping their apprentices. Stoatpaw wondered if it was because of the gathering.

Stoatpaw was a little disheartened that training day, because Tigerpaw seemed to be getting everything a lot quicker than he was. How could Tigerpaw be better than him? They were the same age and apprenticed the same day. He decided to forget about Tigerpaw and work on his form.

"That's it, Stoatpaw!" Leafclaw called to him as he slunk forward in a mouse hunting crouch. He sat up, licking a paw and turning his blue gaze away from his mentor as the brown tabby came up to him. "You're really getting your form down. I think you should go out and try to catch a mouse."

Stoatpaw's heart swelled. Him, the pudgy apprentice who could barely make it up the cave wall, was going hunting! "Just remember to be very quiet and stay hidden; your thick white pelt can be a blessing and a curse sometimes."

Stoatpaw nodded, padding out of the clearing and into the forest. He opened his mouth and closed his eyes, letting the scents of the forest fill his nose. Then... he smelled it.

A vole was somewhere around him. Sniffing more and more, he followed its scent until he reached a cluster of ferns. Sure enough, a vole was scuttling right by the ferns.

Stoatpaw slunk down, prowling forward ever so slowly. His body shook as he tried to keep all of his weight off his paws, and just as the vole was sniffing one of the fern leaves, he pounced.

He was sure he'd caught it, but he was too slow. The vole escaped under his grasp, and he chased it with a growl resonating in his throat. He hissed and spat as the vole disappeared down a hole in the ground.

"I thought I had it!" He hissed, pawing the ground with his claws out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then walked around, trying to scent more prey.

A strange scent tickled his nostrils. It was barely there, but from what Leafclaw told him about prey, he determined it was that of a bird. Sniffing the air, he found a scent trail that led... into a tree.

Leafclaw hadn't taught him bird hunting yet. _But... maybe I can try. I didn't catch the vole, so bringing back a bird will surely please Leafclaw!_ gulping, he began to make his way towards the tree that the bird was in.

He stopped at it's base. It was a tall oak, definitely something not uncommon in the oak forest. He turned his head and spotted Hawk's Talon Peak, seemingly mocking him: _Oh little Stoatpaw! So weak he cannot even climb an oak. How will he ever make it to the gathering?_

He flattened his ears against his head, and jumped forward, hooking his claws in the tree's bark. _It's just like climbing the cave wall back at camp,_ he told himself, and started to climb up the tree.

By the time he reached a good branch to stand on, he was sure the bird was gone. But sniffing the air, he found that it wasn't too far away. Stoatpaw cautiously made his way down the branch, the scent getting stronger until a nice, fat thrush came into view.

Stoatpaw's jaw dropped. _There's no way that thing will be able to fly! he_ reasoned, inching closer and closer.

All of a sudden, the thrush leapt into the air with a flash of feathers. Desperate and startled, Stoatpaw lunged off of the branch, clawing at the bird. His claws became entangled in the feathers, eliciting a squawk from the thrush. He fumbled, losing his balance and falling of the branch.

"Ah!" he screeched, hitting the ground. All of the air wooshed out of his lunged and tears fell from his eyes. Something snapped, and the bird was squirming and thrashing on the ground, squawking in pain. Quickly, Stoatpaw dove towards it, pain growing in his chest as his lungs heaving for air. He grabbed it by the neck and bit down hard.

The bird stopped squawking. Stoatpaw staggered to his feet, shaking. Pride filled his chest as he realized he'd just made his first catch, and it was a bird! He moved forward, but the thrush was too heavy.

 _What did Leafclaw say?_ Stoatpaw asked himself, panic rising in his chest. _Oh right! I'm supposed to bury it!_

Just as he began digging the hole, Leafclaw jumped through the ferns surrounding Stoatpaw, his chest heaving and his eyes wide. Stoatpaw jumped, flinching away from the bird.

"Stoatpaw! Was that you? Did you make that scream?" He asked frantically, sniffing his apprentice over for injuries. His worried look turned into one of anger. "Why did you shout? What were you doing?"

"I was trying to catch a bird, and-and I fell out of the tree." he mewled quietly, curling his tail around his small body. "I'm sorry, Leafclaw..."

"Darn right, you should be sorry! You could've killed yourself!" Leafclaw scolded him, coming forward to pick him up by the scruff when he spotted the bird. His eyes widened. "Stoatpaw, you actually caught the bird?"

"I'm sorry, Leafclaw!" Stoatpaw wailed, standing up. His fur stuck out in every direction from fright. "I was on the branch and the bird flew in front of me and made me jump so I fell forward and grabbed it and... and..." he was shaking hard, his little body not knowing how to handle the situation.

"Stoatpaw, it's okay. Stop, please." Leafclaw said soothingly, leaning down to pick up his head with his nose. "I was just worried. You need to learn when to go after prey and when to not, and now is a prime example. You caught the bird, but almost killed yourself in trying. Stoatpaw, I'm proud of you for trying to support your clan, and catching the bird."

"Leafclaw!" the brown tabby tom in question swiveled his head around, watching as Shiningeyes and Tigerpaw plowed through the ferns. "What happened? Is Stoatpaw okay?"

"He fell off a tree to catch this thrush," Leafclaw explained, guesturing to the dead bird at his feet. Shiningeyes's eyes widened. "He caught it, but the reason I was upset was because he could've killed himself."

"Oh, Stoatpaw! It's okay, we're not mad." Shiningeyes explained, leaning down to the frightened, wide-eyed tom. "Don't be upset. We were just worried."

"O-Okay," Stoatpaw mewled quietly, and Shiningeyes stood up.

"Where did Fuzzypaw and Rowanleap go?" Leafclaw asked, changing the subject. Shiningeyes got a sparkle in her eye that showed true pride.

"Fuzzypaw and Rowanleap went back to camp. Fuzzypaw's going to be made into a warrior!"

* * *

Never before had Stoatpaw run so fast in his life. He didn't have time to mope properly because Leafclaw was determined to get back to the camp to visit his mate and see his first litter become warriors.. Shiningeyes told Stoatpaw to bury his thrush, and the four of them rushed back to camp just in time for the ceremony.

Leafclaw raced into the cave, taking a seat next to Brambleoak, the other queen in the nursery alongside Mistyspots, giving her a loving lick on the cheek. Stoatpaw noticed how big her belly had gotten, and wondered if Pineholly had looked like that before he was born.

He and Tigerpaw sat next to their mother, spotting Sandpaw, Fuzzypaw, and Sagepaw as they were getting ready to become warriors. Wheatstar emerged from her den, her gold and scarlet coat glimmering in the moonlight.

"Cats of Steamclan!" She called loudly, eliciting a cheer from the cats, "We are gathered here today to witness three apprentices become warriors. Sandpaw, come forward!"

The ginger apprentice practically waltzed over to under the Hot Spring's Paw. He looked up expectantly at his leader, who began the ceremony.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to gaze upon this apprentice, Sandpaw. He has shown his excellence and worth to the clan, and today, he is made a warrior." she asked, looking down at him with green eyes. The crowd cheered, then died down. "Sandpaw, do you agree to follow the warrior code and defend your clan, even though the price may be death?"

Sandpaw nodded. "I do."

Wheatstar smiled. "Then, by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. From now on, you will be known as Sandfoot. I welcome you as a warrior of Steamclan."

Sandfoot bowed his head, stepping back. Sagepaw and Fuzzypaw exchanged glances, when Sagepaw was called up.

"Starclan, look upon Fuzzypaw. She has trained hard to understand your code alongside her denmates. Today, she is made a warrior." Fuzzypaw's eyes twinkled. "Fuzzypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and fight for your clan, even if the cost is death?"

"I do!" Fuzzypaw shouted excitedly, shifting on her paws.

Wheatstar closed her eyes. "By the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Fuzzypaw, from now on, you shall be known as Fuzzytail. I welcome you as a warrior of Steamclan."

Stoatpaw began to grow bored, missing the rest of the warrior induction. All he knew was the three names: Sandfoot, Fuzzytail, and Sageberry. That was all.

Then Wheatstar made an anouncement that made his whole body shiver.

"All cats that are going to the gathering, please come here so we may get ready to leave."


	5. Chapter 4: The Gathering

**Wooh, chapter four. This one's kinda short but essential to the plot c:**

* * *

Tigerpaw blinked. The gathering? Right now?

He leapt up from his spot immediately, racing over to Wheatstar through the dispersing cats. He hadn't even realized he'd left Stoatpaw behind until the chubby tom appeared behind him, wheezing. Tigerpaw looked back at his brother and frowned.

"Tigerpaw, you really need to be faster. And stop eating like, fifteen robins when it's dinner."

Stoatpaw flattened his ears against his head. "I'm not fat, I'm just covered in fur." he defended, his white fur puffing up in anger. But Tigerpaw didn't notice- he was too busy focusing on Wheatstar. Fuzzytail came right up to him, flashing him a smile.

"There'll be a lot of clan cats at the gathering, which is always at Hawk's Talon Tree. I hope you're up for a hike!" she laughed, before padding off. Tigerpaw flicked an ear, looking back at Wheatstar. Turning his head to look around, he saw Shiningeyes bidding an awfully sincere farewell to Rowanleap. He snickered inwardly. His mentor had a crush!

"Alright, Steamclan. Time to head out to the gathering!" The group of cats gave a cheer, following their leader up the cave wall and too the outside. Then, they had to wait as Stoatpaw struggled to make it out of the cave.

When Fuzzytail said that it was going to be a hike, she meant it. By the time they reached the entrance to Fuzzy Peach's Grove, where Hawk's Talon Tree was located, his paws felt like they were going to fall off. Stoatpaw collapsed beside him, wheezing.

"I... I do not like gatherings." Stoatpaw stated firmly, groaning when the group began to make their way to the tree. Tigerpaw's ears twitched as the sound of a thousand cats mewling filled his ears.

There were hundreds of cats, more than he'd ever seen in his life! Some had thick fur, others had short. Some didn't have a lot of fur at all! But what he noticed most of all were the two huge toms sitting in Hawk's Talon Tree. He watched as Wheatstar hopped up to join them, and was completely dwarfed by their size.

Unsure of what to do next, he glanced around. Stoatpaw was perfectly content in his spot, and did not want to move. He looked around and spotted a group of young cats that looked his age. He coughed, padding up next to them.

The group was chittering about who knows what, and turned when he entered. There was a small ginger tom, a hefty brown tabby, and a sleek silver she-cat with pretty, almond shaped eyes. She was the one to speak.

"Another apprentice, guys! He looks new!" She leapt up, sniffing him around and scrunching her nose. "Eugh, Steamclan. I'll never get used to that stench!"

"You don't smell too great yourself," Tigerpaw shot back, and the group laughed. His fur tingled with exhileration and excitement at meeting other apprentices! "My name's Tigerpaw. What're yours?"

"I'm Sparkpaw," said the ginger tom. He spoke unbelievably fast. "The brown tom's Turtlepaw. We're from Hollowclan. And the tiny silver she-cat's Silverpaw. She's from Oakclan." Tigerpaw nodded, and soon, the group became endorsed in coversation when even _more_ cats showed up!

Glancing at the newcomers, Tigerpaw watched three apprentices make a beeline for their group. They settled in and greeted Sparkpaw, Turtlepaw, and Silverpaw, before looking quizically at Tigerpaw.

"Who's that?"

"A new apprentice?"

"What clan is he from?"

Silverpaw quieted them with a raised paw. "He's Tigerpaw. Tigerpaw, this is Hazelpaw, Dovepaw, and Pigeonpaw." the three identical, light brown she-cats bowed their heads; they reminded Tigerpaw of Fuzzytail and Sageberry.

Just as the group was about to delve into conversation, one of the big toms spoke up. "I do believe it is time to get this gathering started," he spoke, in an old, rusty voice. The cats quieted down, turning their bodies to face the tree. Tigerpaw did the same thing automatically, as if he'd been going to gatherings for ages. "Wheatstar? Would you like to begin?"

The scarlet she-cat nodded, sitting on her branch. "Thank you, Nettlestar. Steamclan has been thriving and thanks Oakclan for it's supply of fish as gratitude for the use of the springs." she glanced at Nettlestar, who bowed his head. "I would like to introduce three new warriors, who will be doing their vigil after tonight's gathering. Fuzzytail, Sedgeberry, and Sandfoot." the three new warriors stepped forward: Sandfoot with an air of elegance, Fuzzytail about to jump out of her fur, and Sedgeberry almost shying away. The whole gathering whooped and cheered their names, then died down when Wheatstar flicked her tail. "I would also like to present two new apprentices, Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw."

An audible "woosh" was heard as all of the cats turned to face the back, then cheered their names. Pride and glory swelled inside Tigerpaw, and he puffed out his chest.

"Thank you, Nettlestar," Wheatstar ended loudly, causing the cats to quiet down. "Would you like to say anything?"

"Nothing important but that the prey's been running swell in Oakclan, and that we welcome three new kits into the world: Ryekit, Beetlekit, and Tansykit. Jaystar?" he turned his head to the other tom, a large, blue-gray tabby with green eyes. He sat up and addressed the gathering.

"Hollowclan would like to announce that we have new warriors as well. Sadly, one of our warriors, Doepetal, could not make it tonight. But, we have her brother, Tigerstorm." Tigerpaw swiveled his head around to face a dark brown tabby tom with a nick in his ear; he looked strong, and didn't seem like he would mess around. The cats cheered, only to be silenced by Jaystar. "Lastly, Beetlestar. Anything to say?"

Tigerpaw had to stand on his hind legs to see the tiny black tom that was Hailclan's leader. He swelled up, casting an angry glance as Jaystar. "Two sunrises ago, we caught the scent of _Hollowclan_ warriors on _Hailclan_ turf. Care to explain, Jaystar?"

The gray tom sat up, glaring at Beetlestar. "I am just learning of this, Beetlestar. I will have a nice, thorough talk with my clanmates about it." he finished, dipping his head, and Beetlestar muttered something, leaning back. Nettlestar and Wheatstar sat wide-eyed through the bad blood episode, before Wheatstar carefully said, "I believe that ends tonight's gathering."

"Don't listen to Beetlestar," Turtlepaw assured, looking at Tigerpaw. He glanced at the three identical she-cats as they left without a word. But Turtlepaw demanded his attention, which he gave. "No Hollowclan warriors were ever on his territory because we were all in the camp two sunrises ago because there was a _fox_ near the Hailclan border. No one wanted to go out of the camp, because foxes are incredibly scary and dangerous in Hollowclan territory. If any cat did go over the border, it was to chase that mangy fox away." Tigerpaw nodded, watching as the two toms left. He was alone with Silverpaw.

"Well, it was really nice talking to you," Tigerpaw told her, and she nodded. An air of awkwardness settled over them. "Uh, bye, I guess."

"Bye."

They parted, Tigerpaw heading over to Stoatpaw, who was standing up and looking much better than he was when they arrived. "Ready to go?" he asked, and Tigerpaw nodded.

Steamclan made it back to their camp without any trouble. Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw crawled into their nests, astounded at how opened the apprentice's den seemed now that Fuzzytail, Sandfoot and Sageberry were gone.

Closing his eyes, he fell asleep, hapoily frolicking through dreamy fields as he slept.


	6. Chapter 5: Nicks

**Aaaa chapter five (man when it goes to monday no chapters will be cranked out like the last few days ;U;)**

 **This one's kinda short too, but it's got some things essential to plot in it c:**

 **Please review! It really helps me as an author.**

* * *

Stoatpaw hated dreaming. He never seemed to have any good ones.

Like for instance, the one he had right after the gathering. Hundreds upon hundreds of cats, towering over him. They wre all mocking and jeering at him, and no matter how much he ran away from them, they always got closer

 _"Chubby little apprentice!"_

 _"Too slow to even run away!"_

 _"He'll never be a_ true _warrior like Tigerpaw!"_

He felt himself floating in midair, then falling as the laughter closed around him. It was everywhere, and so was the darkness.

And he kept falling.

* * *

When Stoatpaw awoke, he noticed two things.

The first was that his bed was wet. He found out it was because he was crying.

The second was that Tigerpaw was gone.

Scrambling to his paws, he leapt out of the apprentics's den, looking around wildly. He saw Vixenleg and Rowanleap chatting over a vole; Mossfang was organizing patrols; Wheatstar was half hidden in the Leader's Pool, her green eyes cast over the camp. But no Tigerpaw.

He spotted Leafclaw coming out of the warrior's den. "Leafclaw!" he shouted, running up to his mentor. Leafclaw spun around, his eyes brightening when he saw his apprentice.

"Stoatpaw! You're up!" he exclaimed, looking down at his frantic apprentice. "I was just about to go and get you so we could meet Tigerpaw and Shiningeyes for training practice."

 _Phew._ Stoatpaw was relieved. He received quite a shock when he didn't see Tigerpaw asleep next to him. He nodded to Leafclaw, and the two made it out of the cave, albeit slowly thanks to Stoatpaw.

They made it to their little clearing, and as soon as they met up, Leafclaw and Shiningeyes paired them for a battle. Stoatpaw flinched at the words; he wasn't ready to fight!

He wasn't sure what scared him the most: the fact that the two mentors were instructing their apprentices how to fight, or the fact that Tigerpaw was completely calm throughout the whole battle. Needless to say, Stoatpaw was left in a crushing defeat.

"Stoatpaw, don't get mad! Get back up on your feet!" Leafclaw shouted, and the chubby apprentice got to his feet clumsily. Shiningeyes shouted almost immediately, "Tigerpaw, strike now!"

Stoatpaw hadn't even known what'd happened, but all of a sudden there was a shriek of pain and Tigerpaw darted back. Stoatpaw was crouched down and his claws were unsheathed. He was breathing heavily, watching as blood trickled down his claws and onto his paw. He looked at Tigerpaw, who was whimpering and holding his head.

A sick feeling grew in Stoatpaw's stomach as well as a feeling of isgust and horror. "Oh Starclan, Tigerpaw, I'm so sorry- I-I didn't know what to do, I-I-"

"Stoatpaw, this is why we keep our claws sheathed!" Leafclaw shouted, rushing to the two apprentices. He ran up to Tigerpaw. "Tigerpaw, are you okay? How bad is the injury?"

To Stoatpaw's horror and/or surprise, Tigerpaw lifted his head with twinkling eyes, a nasty gash in his right ear. "I'm fine, Leafclaw! I've got my first battle scar! C'mon Stoatpaw, let's try that again!"

Despite Leafclaw and Shiningeyes's blatant looks of apprehension, the two brothers practiced their warrior moves, this time with claws sheathed. Tigerpaw won a majority of the fights, and Stoatpaw almost one a few.

Going back to the cave at sunset, Stoatpaw felt horrible. He'd nicked his brother in the ear, been scolded by Leafclaw, and his weight was really concerning him. He seemed to be getting bigger each day!

To combat his sadness, he proceeded to eat three mice for dinner. He knew he shouldn't have and the food could've gone to the elders, but he was feeling so miserable that he needed to eat them.

"Good training, today!" Tigerpaw's friendly meow sounded outside the apprentice's den, and Stoatpaw felt the air shift as his brother settled in next to him. "You really took a lot outta my ear. Darkseed said it'd take weeks to heal!"

A dim, achy feeling grew in Stoatpaw's stomach, and he wanted to cry. He didn't like how Tigerpaw was being so _nice_ abiut the whole situation when it was obvious that Stoatpaw didn't feel _nice_ about it.

"Stoatpaw? You okay?"

"'M fine." Stoatpaw grumbled, tucking his head beneath his paws as he closed his eyes tightly.

"... Oh, okay. Well, I hope you-"

A shriek sounded outside, and the two brothers lifted their heads, eyes wide and ears straight up. Tigerpaw stood up. "What was that?" he asked himself. Stoatpaw was at a loss of words when there was another shriek.

"Brambleoak is kitting!"

Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw exchanged glances. They then rushed out of the apprentice's den, only to be met with a cacophany of noise as cats all around were asking questions and regaling about past kittings. Darkseed was amidst the turmoil, running back and forth between the nursery and his den frantically. Leafclaw was waiting outside the nursery, his body shaking in anticipation. Stoatpaw's face showed bewilderment; he'd never imagined his mentor like this.

Stoatpaw and Tigerpaw watched all of the ruckus until quiet settled among the clan as Darkseed emerged from the den. He looked across the clan and smiled a crooked smile.

"Brambleoak has become a wonderful mother to three beautiful kits. Leafclaw, would you like to step inside?" he asked, smiling crookedly at the tom. Stoatpaw reasoned it was because Darkseed never smiled a lot, so his facial muscles were unsused to the feeling.

Leafclaw disappeared into the nursery, and the clan cheered before dispersing. New kits! Stoatpaw and Tigerpaw exchanged glances, before turning back towards the apprentce's den.

"Man, having kits seems like so much work!" Tigerpaw exclaimed, looking down at Stoatpaw as he settled into his nest. "What do you think, Stoatpaw?"

"... Kits _would_ be a bit of a hassle." Tigerpaw snorted, curling into his nest and closing his eyes.

Stoatpaw lifted his head to glance at Tigerpaw. He was starting to get lean, and tiny, tiny muscles poked from underneath his pelt, even though it'd only been about three days.

Looking at Tigerpaw made Stoatpaw mad. Why couldn't he be like Tigerpaw? They were brothers! There shouldn't have been any superiority between them!

But... there wasn't. At least, not to Tigerpaw. Then again, Tigerpaw _was_ the stronger of the two. And he wasn't fat. And he didn't really have to try.

Stoatpaw blinked, looking down at his nest. He'd unsheathed his claws and had begun to tear away at the soft moss. He sighed, setting his head against the shredded moss, falling into an uneasy sleep.


	7. Chapter 6: Silver

**Here's chapter 6 c: Hope you enjoy, please review! I'd like to know your thoughts on _Dear Brother_!**

* * *

Tigerpaw's dreams were... quite complicated that night.

Really, they were just bursts of different colors and scents and sensations all at once. The first one was a wind rushing through his fur, and all of the smells of the forest coming at him at once. If he had to describe it, he felt exhilerated- euphoric, even.

But then pain grabbed his body. The colors around him became a mixtures of browns, white, and reds; the scent of blood wafted through the air, and a paralyzing pain went throughout his body, and he felt like he was going to faint...

... Until the pain went away. All around him were soft hues of reddish pink, and an unknown feeing crept through him. It was how he felt for his mother, but... stronger. Less like the feeling was for a mother, and more like it was for... a mate. He'd never witnessed this kind of feeling before, and the way it tugged at his heart was painful yet amazing.

Just as he felt he was going to burn up from this unknown feeling, a white light flashed through the area, burning up all of the reds. All around him was gray that dipped in and out of a darker shade periodically.

The gray... _pattern_ seemed familiar to him, though he couldn't place where he'd seen it before. But... just _staring_ at the gray made his heartbeat quicken. His eyes widened, and he found himself rushing forward until his vision faded to black. His lungs were squeezed tight, and as he opened to grt a breath of air, imaginary water filled his mouth.

He let out a scream and thrashed, but to no use. He was stuck. Looking down at his paws, he was no longer Tigerpaw, but another cat. His blue eyes widened as he looked at the silver tabby pelt he had on.

 _Who am I? Who is this cat?_ he asked himself, the thrashing becoming less and less as he slowly gave away to unconsciousness. Just as he was about to cut the cord between himself and the waking world, a cacophany of noise rose up out of the water until he thought he was going to go mad from it all.

Then, just as he was about to snap, that same, haunting phrase from his kithood filled his ears once more.

 _"Don't let him in!"_

* * *

Tigerpaw's eyes flew open and he let out a strangled yowl. Never before had he been so afraid. He hated this feeling of weakness.

 _No!_ he thought, shaking his head as his eyes furrowed in anger. _I will not allow myself to fall into this... grasp of weakness! No!_ he glanced down at his brother, anger bubbling beneath the surface. _How can he just lie there? He looks so weak, how was he even made an apprentice?_

 _No._ a thought came up against all the angry ones, and he suddenly felt very sad. _Stoatpaw is your brother! How could you say that? He was made an apprentice just like you were- a mewling kitten. Sure, he's a little weaker, and has a lot more extra weight than some other apprentices, but he's your brother all the same._

Tigerpaw sniffed, settling back down in his nest, glancing at Stoatpaw. The pudgy little white tom's chest went up and down evenly, and just by watching the motions, Tigerpaw fell back into sleep.

* * *

Tigerpaw was utterly exhausted the next day, and he could tell it was a surprise to Stoatpaw. He was glad that the nick in his ear had stopped bleeding, thanks to him going straight to Darkseed in the morning to get it checked on.

Leafclaw and Shiningeyes were discussing their schedule for the day, so he had a minute to talk to Stoatpaw.

The two had definitely become a little distant since they were apprenticed, and Tigerpaw wanted to put an end to it. He padded up to his brother, who was gazing around the forest as he waited for the mentors to finish.

"hey Stoatpaw," Tigerpaw meowed, sitting next to Stoatpaw. The white apprentice looked at his brother as silence fell between the two. "So, uh, how're you?"

"I'm okay," Stoatpaw meowed back, looking down sadly. "I just hope Leafclaw and Shiningeyes finish because I'm ready to leave."

"Hey!" Leafclaw meowed, looking down at the white tom. "Don't say that, Stoatpaw. Shiningeyes and I are almost finished." he glanced back at the split-faced warrior, who nodded. She and Leafclaw then headed into the forest with their apprentices on their heels.

The walk was long and tedious, and Tigerpaw, already exhausted, was about ready to fall over when their group stopped. A vicious, thundering noise hit his ears; Stoatpaw seemed to hear it too, as his fur began to stick out in fright.

"W-What is that?" he mewed quietly, his voice trembling. Tigerpaw took pity on his poor brother, because he was quite frightened as well. The two warriors ahead of them glanced back with a twinkle in their eye before they ran forward through the ferns.

Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw followed, and were presented with one of nature's most stunning features: the Swishing Trout River.

Thousands upon thousands of water droplets rushed forward and downwards, and the thundering roar of a miniature waterfall was what Tigerpaw had heard. On the other side of the river, Tigerpaw noticed a group of cats fishing.

"Hello, Oakclan!" Shiningeyes called over to the warriors, who called back a greeting in response. Shiningeyes turned to Tigerpaw, explaining, "Neither Oakclan nor Steamclan own the river, as it is too large and big for either to control. Oakclan mainly feeds on the fish it provides, but Steamclan does occasionally."

Tigerpaw nodded, looking out across the river. He spotted only one familiar cat: Silverpaw, who seemed bored as two other tom apprentices smothered her. He narrowed his eyes at them, catching Silverpaw's gaze, to which her eyes lit up almost immediately.

"Wow..." Stoatpaw breathed, leaning closer to the river's edge. "I've only ever seen the Hot Springs. This... this is _amazing!_ " his shout was very loud, and several birds flew out of the trees due to shock. Stoatpaw shrank, smiling sheepishly.

After the group had spent their fair share of time at the river, they decided to turn back. The sun was already beginning to sink below the horizon, and Tigerpaw could barely keep his eyes opened. As soon as they entered the camp, he made a beeline for the apprentice's den when Stoatpaw locked a claw in his fur.

"Tigerpaw, we should go see Brambleoak's kits." he meowed, his blue eyes wide as he stared at his brother. "They're Leafclaw's kits. I want to at leadt see them as his apprentice."

Tigerpaw rolled his eyes, grumbling as they made their way to the nursery. Brambleoak was sleeping inside, while Mistyspots sat there, licking her fur and meowing a quiet greeting to the apprentices. Her stomach was absolutely huge, and Tigerpaw was sure she'd kit any day now.

Stoatpaw seemed astounded by the kits. Tigerpaw glanced rowards Brambleoak's belly, his eyes widening as he spotted the three bundles. "Wow..." he breathed, taking a careful pawstep forward. "Look at them. One of them's got a ticked pelt that looks like Brambleoak's. This one's fur is super dark! Is it brown, or black?"

"Brown." Brambleoak's eyes opened, and she sat up, smiling warmly at the apprentices. She flicked her tail over the ticked gray kit. "This little kit's name is Cloudkit, after Leafclaw's grandfather, Cloudmask." she flicked her tail towards the second kit; this one was the dark, dark brown kit. "This little one's name is Larkkit. I just thought the name fit, so she's my little lark." her tail flicked towards the last kit, a very dark gray she-kit. "Her name is Hollykit, after my mother, Hollythroat."

"They're so small..." Tigerpaw exclaimed, leaning down and sniffing a kit. It moved closer to its mother, and Brambleoak gave a laugh, curling her tail around her three kits.

"You young apprentices should go and get some sleep. I bet it's almost moonhigh!" Brambleoak shooed them away with her long tail, and the two brothers made way for the fresh kill pile and back to their den.

Tigerpaw went to sleep relatively easily that night, his stomach full of field mouse. It was quickly becoming his favorite. But, while sleep weighed heavily on his mind, he couldn't get Silverpaw out of his head.

Excluding Stoatpaw, she was one of the only friends he had. He glanced at his pudgy little apprentice brother, who was sleeping soundly, a sparrow's feather drifting lazily in the air with each exhale he made.

Resting his head on his paws, Silverpaw and the two Oakclan apprentices on his mind, he fell asleep.

* * *

This dream was quite new to Tigerpaw. He'd never experienced anything like it before!

Tigerpaw was in a clearing, and the two Oakclan apprentices were standing before him, nasty grins plastered on their faces. Silverpaw wailed behind them, and Tigerpaw unsheathed his claws, falling into a battle stance.

"Haha, look at Tigerpaw! Too tiny to even move!" one of the toms jeered, lifting a claw to reveal needle-sharp claws.

"Yeah, all he's got is a pudgy little brother who clings to his side like a newborn kit to it's mother!" the second tom, this onw with a gray tabby pelt, cackled out his insult. It sent Tigerpaw into an even more vicious rage. Silverpaw meowing helplessly behind them.

"And look here, I've gotta go up against Uglypaw and Stinkypaw!" Tigerpaw shot back, and the toms growled. He leapt forward, falling into a vicious fight between them.

His body moved almost mechanically. He slashed and hissed at his opponents, his body whirling around like lightening that could only scream one word: _power._ He liked the way it felt; the tingly feeling in his paws. Once the two toms were on the ground, his chest was heaving, a vicious pride rising in his chest as he hissed at them, his tail lashing.

Silverpaw darted up behind him, ducking under his chin. "Oh, Tigerpaw! My hero!" she exclaimed, and Tigerpaw smiled goofily, his tail entwining in hers.

The dream wobbled, and Tigerpaw was plunged into a deep, dark place, a yowl escaping his mouth as he clawed at the fading form of his love.

* * *

Tigerpaw woke up in the dead of night, his heart racing and his mind reeling. Silverpaw was on his mind in a matter of seconds: her sleek tabby fur, her pretty blue eyes, and the way she talked and laughed...

 _No._ he shook his head. _I can't like her, she's with Oakclan! Even though the clans are at a time of peace, interclan relationships break one of the most important clan rules. And I doubt she even feels the same way!_

He sat and thought until sunrise. He was extremely tired when Stoatpaw awoke, trying with all his might to pull his brother out of the den. Tigerpaw looked over Stoatpaw; how much of a kit he resembled! Pudgy face and body, big round eyes, tiny paws.

Tigerpaw stood, moving an arm and pushing Stoatpaw away. He saw something flicker in Stoatpaw's eyes; was it fewr? He wuickly stood up and said, "Uh, we should probably get going, Stoatpaw."

He couldn't shake his feeling of sickness and horror throughout the rest of the day.


	8. Chapter 7: Confessions

**I got some reviews :D I really appreciate all they said, and I'd like it if any more readers would review c:**

* * *

Stoatpaw woke up the next day with a yawn, his mind going back to yesterday's morning when Tigerpaw completely pushed him away; his brother wasn't awake, and when he poked his head out of the nursery, he only saw Shiningeyes approaching.

"Hi, Stoatpaw. Is Tigerpaw awake?" she asked, turning her head around to look at all the cats in the clearing. "If he isn't, could you tell him that I'd like him to clean out the elder's den, and that you're to do it too? Leafclaw wants to spend some time with his kits."

Stoatpaw bowed his head, watching her leave. He flicked an ear upon seeing her dash up to Rowanleap, putting her head underneath his before they ran off up the cave wall. He smirked, knowing full well that the two were steadily falling in love.

"Stoatpaw?" Tigerpaw's sleepy voice sounded inside the den, and the brown and white apprentice came out to stand next to his brother. "Where's Shiningeyes? And Leafclaw?"

Stoatpaw took a moment to recognize Tigerpaw's size: he was getting taller, his muscles just beginning to fill out. Of the two of them, Tigerpaw was going to take after Mossfang the most.

"Uh, she told me to tell you that they want us to clean out the elder's den." Stoatpaw mewed, watching as a look of disappointment flashed on Tigerpaw's face.

"Aww darn, I was hoping the two of us could train today. Stoatpaw, d'you think we could possibly train today after we clean out the elder's den?" Tigerpaw asked, his look hopeful.

Stoatpaw nodded, looking toward's the elder's den. The three elders were in their pool, looking comfortable. "Cleaning out their den will be easy," Stoatpaw purred, and the two apprentices began to make their way over.

"... and so I takes that sparrow and gives it right to Bushlight, I tell you." it was Kalethroat, an elder, talking to Blackclaw and his mate, Mousefang, a story. "She was in love wit' me in less than a second! Ah, she was a real beauty, Bushlight." a look of bliss glazed over the old tomcat's features.

As the brothers came up to the pool, Mousefang, an elder she-cat, turned to the apprentices. "Oh!" she exclaimed, wading over to them. "I suspect you two young'uns are here to clean the nest! Well, I won't stop ya, but would you two dearies be interested in listenin' to some stories afterwards?"

Stoatpaw nodded. "Okay, Mousefang. We'll do that."

Blackclaw, the other male elder, waded up next to his mate. "There's some moss an' feathers collected by the warriors over in tha' far corner over there," he explained, pointing to a corner right by the fresh kill pile that was filled with moss and feathers and leaves, all good for nests. "Thank the warriors! They brought it down here ta make it easier on you young folks." with that, the tom and his mate waded back over to Kalethroat, who was right in the middle of another story.

"Stoatpaw, can you remove all of the moss and feathers from their den? I'll go and bring them the moss." Tigerpaw said, and Stoatpaw nodded. The two toms separated, and Stoatpaw was there to remove of all the dirty moss by himself.

He took out a little bit, and became unsure of where to put it. He set it in a pile near the elder's pool, and went back inside to grab some more moss. He continued this until the den was spotless; he could make out the smooth stone that made up the floor of the den clearly.

He waited for Tigerpaw, but he hadn't come back yet. Stabding up, Stoatpaw went over to help his brother, but as soon as he tried, Tigerpaw shooed him away.

"Stoatpaw, go back there. I've got this." Tigerpaw stated through a mouthful of moss and feathers as he proceeded to pick it all up in one sitting. Stoatpaw sighed, heading over to listen to the elder's stories.

By the time Tigerpaw had finished, the elders were all tired and ready to retire to their beds. Tigerpaw seemed elated and begged Stoatpaw to train; to Stoatpaw, it seemed as if his brother hadstalled with the moss _on purpose_. The white tom felt a pang in his chest and rolled his eyes, following Tigerpaw to the cave wall.

"Thanks, Stoatpaw! I really appreciate the help back there. Now, the two of us can train!" Tigerpaw seemed elated but Stoatpaw felt betrayed. How come Tigerpaw hadn't wanted to spend time with his brother like they used to, and tell stories.

Just as they were about to start climbing the cave wall, a startled Leafclaw ran right up to them. "You two! Where do you think you're going?" he sounded frantic and out of breath.

Stoatpaw blinked and responded, "Uh, we were just heading out of the cave to go train." Leafclaw's chest heaved, and he leaned down to his apprentice.

"Stoatpaw, you're an apprentice. If you plan on leaving camp, please tell a warrior about it so we know where you are." Stoatpaw nodded to this, but was shocked when Tigerpaw didn't.

Leafclaw bid them farewell as they traveled up the cave wall. Stoatpaw followed Tigerpaw as he led the way to their little clearing, and as soon as they did, Tigerpaw pounced. Stoatpaw was unready for the attack and fell to the ground in a heap of white fur.

"Tigerpaw!" he squeaked, scrambling to his paws, getting into a battle stance. "I wasn't ready!" not even hearing his words, Tigerpaw pounced, getting ready to tap his head again and knock him to the ground. But Stoatpaw was fast and darted to the side, ramming a paw into Tigerpaw's belly and sending him hissing to the other side of the field.

Stoatpaw froze in fright as he saw Tigerpaw's murderous glint in his eye. "T-Tigerpaw? Tigerpaw, I'm sorry!" he cried, backing up. Tigerpaw didn't respond. "Tigerpaw, y-you're scaring me!"

Tigerpaw pounced, paws outstretched as he pinned little Stoatpaw to the ground. His tail was lashing out behind him. Stoatpaw howled, pulling up his hind legs and thrusting them directly into Tigerpaw's belly. The brown and white tom didn't even flinch.

Just as Tigerpaw was about to land the final blow, his tail whipped around. Thinking rashly, Stoatpaw leapt forward with such force that Tigerpaw fell backwards in surprise. Stoatpaw bit down hard on his brother's tail, and a pained yowl split throughout the field.

Stoatpaw immediately let go and backed away, his chest heaving. His pudgy little body couldn't handle this; he needed to lie down. Tigerpaw was hissing and spitting and writhing on the ground.

"Stoatpaw!" he howled, finally stopping and lifting his head to glare at his brother. "That _really_ hurt!"

"Tigerpaw, you were scaring me!" Stoatpaw defended, his white fur fluffing out and his tail curling around his trembling body. "I'm not as strong as you, I don't handle battles well like you!" a thought bubbled up in his mind, and Stoatpaw's gaze grew angry until he looked like an agrivated adder. "Or did you _know_ that, and dragged me out here to train on purpose?"

Tigerpaw's look of anger fell. "Stoatpaw, I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." silence fell, until Tigerpaw continued, "Stoatpaw, can I... can I tell you something?"

Stoatpaw, still ruffled, sat down with a huff and glared at his brother, his blue eyes filled with anger and disappointment. "What is it, Tigerpaw?"

"I uh... I've decided that I want to become leader some day." Tigerpaw confessed, looking away. Stoatpaw's eyes widened. "I had a dream that really made me want to be leader. I-I thought that, if I trained in my spare time, _someone_ would recognize my dedication."

"And make you leader on the spot?"

"That's not what I meant, Stoatpaw, and you know it!" Tigerpaw growled, shaking his head and standing up. "Whatever. It's not like you'd ever understand."

Stoatpaw stood up in a flash. "What wouldn't I understand?"

"I said whatever!" Tigerpaw growled, fleeing the scene.

The amount of anger that grew inside of Stoatpaw was almost deadly. He felt like he was going to explode. Tigerpaw said he didn't understand! Oh yeah, it's not like little Stoatpaw, who wanted to be respected by Tigerpaw, his brother, would ever understand what it felt like to want respect!

The feeling of anger was replaced by something much, much darker, that turned his stomach into knots and messed with his mind. The thought that he'd never be as good as Tigerpaw. He'd forever be a tiny little apprentice who was too pudgy to dodge an attack.

The thought that he desperately wanted to be like Tigerpaw: strong, cunning, well-liked, and nameless other things. Stoatpaw hated being _Stoatpaw._ He wanted to be like Tigerpaw.

He sighed, pushing the feeling away and heading back to the camp. Upon arriving, he saw Sageberry and Sandfoot sitting outsdie and sharing a thrush. He ignored them and went right into the cave. As soon as he reached the cave floor, he was bombarded with three fluffy masses.

"Kits!" Stoatpaw, who had been knocked to the ground by the kits, thrush his head upwards as the fluffy masses turned towards their mother. Her eyes were shining and she had a loving smile on her face. "Don't just clobber all over Stoatpaw!"

The three masses turned back to Stoatpaw, looking at him with wide, glittering eyes. "We're sorry, Stoatpaw." they mewd in unison, before they all began to squeak questions.

"What's it like outside the cave?"

"Have you caught anything?"

"Is it super scary?"

"How hard is it to get up the wall?"

"What's your warrior name gonna be?" Stoatpaw's ears flicked forward as he looked down at the kit who'd asked the question: Larkkit. Her big green eyes were looking up at him hopefully, and he felt trapped in her gaze, unsure of how to respond. "Well? What's it gonna be, Stoatpaw?"

"Larkkit!" Brambleoak meowed, coming up to her daughter and grabbing her by the scruff. Larkkit squirmed, a mew of discomfort leaving her mouth. "Sorry about that, Stoatpaw." Brambleoak apologized, but Stoatpaw just awkwardly nodded his head, watching as Brambleoak turned to herd her three kits back towards the nursery.

Stoatpaw took a look at the fresh kill pile just as Fuzzytail dropped a fat squirrel on top of it. Despite his stomach's protests, he felt surprisingly not hungry and retired to the apprentice's den, casting a glance towards the elders and their pool. He looked to the side of the den, seeing the steamy pool that belonged to the apprentices. Its still surface told him that not one apprentice had set foot in it in ages.

Settling into his nest, his mind began to wonder over the thoughts of the day. He remembered cleaning out the elder's den, and how weird Tigerpaw had been acting. He remembered the disappointment in sitting by the elder's and listening to their stories alone, and how eager Tigerpaw was to train. And... Tigerpaw's confession.

Stoatpaw furrowed his brows. _There's no way a cat like Tigerpaw would ever become leader. He's too self centered and selfish sometimes. He'd never make a good leader._ But, the more he thought about it, Tigerpaw could be a good leader if he was trained well enough. He pushed the thought from his mind and settled down in his nest, welcoming sleep with open paws.


	9. Chapter 8: Kits

**Here's chapter eight I hope you enjoy!**

 **Sorry it's kinda short; it's still heavy with plot!**

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Tigerpaw was sitting by the fresh kill pile when he watched Stoatpaw walk into the apprentice's den. He felt only a small ounce of remorse for telling Stoatpaw to stop caring about him, and to just let him and his ambitions be. It's not like Stoatpaw would understand the way power and strength made him feel; Stoatpaw hadn't even imagined it! Fuzzytail went right up to him, a mouse in her jaws.

"Hey, Tigerpaw. Is Stoatpaw okay? He seems a little downcast." she examined, biting a nice hunk out of the mouse and swallowing. "Maybe you should go talk to him."

The guilt finally reached Tigerpaw, and he looked down. "I can't. It... it's my fault he's that way. I uh... I said some pretty nasty things to him during training..." Tigerpaw's guilt welled up inside of him, and his paws trembled. Fuzzytail wrapped a tail around his back, pushing her half eaten squirrel towards him. He looked at it, nodding to her and taking a bite. The juicy scents and smells of the forest mingled with the taste, and he found himself suddenly famished. He quickly snapped up the mouse in three bites, licking his lip as he looked at Fuzzytail.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yes." Tigerpaw mewed in response, leaning against Fuzzytail's fuzzy gray pelt. "I... I just... I've set an impossible, and Stoatpaw can't possibly comprehend it. He's too pudgy and weak, and can barely hold his own in a fight. I don't want to admit it, but there's no way Stoatpaw could ever understand my goal." he looked up at Fuzzytail, who blinked slowly, her mind whirring to find the right words to say.

"Well, maybe he does feel that way, but to a lesser degree. Say you want to become leader." she was using it as an example, but Tigerpaw felt a pang- that was his goal exactly. "You really want to become leader, and think you have all the qualifications to become one. Stoatpaw might feel the same way, but he might want to shoot for becoming a warrior instead of a leader. He's got the desire, but isn't shooting for the same position."

"... You could be an excellent medicine cat. You understand just how cats think!" Tigerpaw purred, and Fuzzytail smiled. The two big farewell, and Tigerpaw saw Stoatpaw asleep, his fluffy white body going up and down with each chest. He walked up to his brother, touching him on the nose with his.

"I'm sorry, Stoatpaw. I was really insensitive earlier. I... I shouldn't have said what I said."

* * *

Tigerpaw opened his eyes to a grassy field. A cat was standing in front of him, her pelt a swirl of color. But as soon as she turned around, he knew she was beautiful.

She was obviously just a figment of his imagination, and as her face lit up when she saw him, a burning desire grew in his chest. She came up to him, and he began to sweat; he hated and loved this feeling. It made him feel... indescribable. She walked up to him and rubbed her cheek against his.

"Oh, Tigerpaw, I love you." she murmured, pressing her forehead against his.

She smelled like the river, full of excitement and wonder. The scent of oak graced her pelt, as well as an oddly earthy scent that Tigerpaw could only describe as Oakclan. He knew the love was forbidden, but this was a dream, and she wasn't real. No one would ever find out.

Ever.

* * *

Stoatpaw's nest was empty when Tigerpaw awoke.

"Stoatpaw?" He called groggily, raising his head and looking around. He stood to his paws and stretched; it felt good to release his claws and clean the dirt that had accumulated on them. Once he was all ready to start the day, he padded out of the den, only to see an obscure scene before him.

Pineholly and Brambleoak were sitting next to each other and chatting over a robin, while only a couple feet away, Leafclaw watched as his three kits played around with Stoatpaw. His eyes were bright as a kit, a tiny gray one with blue eyes, hobbled over and fell over his paws. He gently lifted her off the ground and let her go play with Stoatpaw and the others.

"Stoatpaw!" Tigerpaw called, and the kits lifted their heads to look at Tigerpaw. Stoatpaw's head lifted in surprise, and the kits clambered off of him as he stood. Tigerpaw awkwardly went up to him, noticing how Stoatpaw's fur bristled slightly.

"Hello, Tigerpaw." Stoatpaw's voice was cold. It was obvious he did not want to speak to his brother, looking away from the patched apprentice. "What do you want?"

"Er, hi, Stoatpaw." Tigerpaw meowed awkwardly, and the two stood in silence. Tigerpaw could feel Brambleoak and Pineholly's eyes on them, before immersing themselves in their conversation once more- this time with hushed voices.

In an attempt to steer the conversation in a more positive direction, Tigerpaw glanced down at the three kits. His gaze met the dark gray kit's eyes, and she gasped, hiding behind her two siblings. "What're their names, Stoatpaw?"

"The mottled kit is Cloudkit, the dark gray kit is Hollykit, and the dark brown kit is Larkkit." Stoatpaw told him, and Tigerpaw was relieved to hear the anger in his voice dissipate... somewhat. "Cloudkit likes to watch, and Hollykit and Larkkit like to play fight a lot."

"Stoatpaw! Tigerpaw! Come here!" the two brothers turned their heads to face Pineholly, who was beckoning them towards her. The brothers exchanged glances and trotted up to their mother, who gave them each affectionate licks on the forehead.

"Yes?" Stoatpaw asked, sitting down. His pudgy little body seemed to not be made for standing, as he reclined peacefully to talk to his mother.

"Are you two doing okay? How's your apprenticeship? You two aren't fighting, are you?" she was worried for her kits; she loved them very much. After the usual questions, she sighed and smiled. "I've got something very important to tell you two. Your father and I are having kits again."

Tigerpaw's eyes widened. "Kits?" he croaked out, blinking. Stoatpaw's jaw went completely slack and fell, his blue eyes becoming bright disks as he blinked at his mother, who nodded.

"Yes, kits. They'll be your younger siblings! Darkseed checked me a little earlier, and says it isn't definite, but you might have four new siblings." her eyes widened as she said this, and Tigerpaw's face lit up.

"Will you let me name one?" he asked, and Pineholly nodded. He turned to Stoatpaw. "Stoatpaw! I get to name one!"

"Can I name one too?" Stoatpaw squeaked, standing up surprisingly fast for someone of his size. "Oh, please let me name one!"

"Okay, okay! You _both_ can name _one."_ Pineholly watched as her two sons exchanged glances, dashing backwards and beginning a play fight. She rolled her eyes just as Leafclaw padded up, giving Brambleoak an affectionate lick on her cheek.

"Do you mind if I borrow my apprentice and Tigerpaw?" he asked, swiping a tongue across his lips. The queens nodded, calling to Stoatpaw and Tigerpaw. The two ran up, spirits high.

Leafclaw led them away, and they were soon accompanied by Shiningeyes. The two mentors faced them, and Tigerpaw sat up straight. This seemed important."

"Okay, you two. Tomorrow, you both are going on a border patrol. Stoatpaw, you and Leafclaw have the dawn patrol, so you better be up early. Tigerpaw," she said his name loudly, turning to her apprentice. "You and I have the sunhigh patrol. Afterwards, you both will be doing something that only Steamclan does."

"What would that be?" Tigerpaw asked, his tail twitching in excitement.

Leafclaw and Shiningeyes exchanged a look. Shiningeyes took in a breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them, the mismatched colors were twinkling as she spoke.

"You two are on Hot Spring Duty."


	10. Chapter 9: Hot Springs

**Hey there! Sorry for the sort-of short chapter; there's so much I want to pour into this story, but at the rate I'm going it looks like this story's gonna be a long one c:**

 **I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed!**

* * *

When Stoatpaw had learned he was going on the dawn patrol, he was excited.

When he learned he was on Hot Spring Duty, he became even more excited.

He'd never been to the Hot Springs, only to the water spitters. He'd never even come close to the Hailclan border. Their territory and Hailclan's territory met in a series of large, rolling hills that led up to Hawk's Talon Peak. He'd heard stories about cats losing their grip on the smooth rock up there and falling to their deaths; and of course, there were the infamous water spitters. He shivered, remembering how he almost died by getting to close to one.

Not to mention, most of the cats who used the Hot Springs were warriors of other clans, thanks to Falconstar. He remembered once when Rowanleap was on duty that the old Hailclan leader, Thornstar, had come to soak in the Hot Springs before his demise. Kind of creepy, but still cool that the leader of another clan just randomly appeared and chatted with Rowanleap.

The rest of the day had been filled with excitement. Thanks to his adrenaline rush in the morning, Stoatpaw was able to successfully win a match against Tigerpaw (even though it could barely be called winning); he caught three mice in one sitting; he was even complimented by Fuzzytail on how good he was looking and that he was beginning to fill out like Tigerpaw!

He couldn't see it himself, but thanked her anyway.

He went to sleep that night with a warm buzz in his heart, finally content on where he stood in the views of others.

* * *

Stoatpaw almost forgot to wake up early for the dawn patrol. Leafclaw had to come into the den and bat him awake with a paw, which, in turn, gave Stoatpaw his greeting: an annoyed flick of the ear that cleary said, _Hurry up!_

Stoatpaw immediately jumped out of bed and saw the warriors who would be accompanying him and Leafclaw: Deerheart, Fuzzytail, Sandfoot, and... Mossfang.

Stoatpaw was almost never in contact with his father. He was deputy, after all, and too concerned with clan matters to pay attention to his first litter. But, in the few times he did, he was always proud of his two kits. Stoatpaw always thought he sounded more proud of Tigerpaw, but that was completely his opinion.

Leafclaw approached, going over to Deerheart to begin a conversation, leaving him alone. Mossfang approached, his green eyes gleaming. Stoatpaw gulped under that unknown green gaze.

"How's your training going, Stoatpaw?" Mossfang asked, his green eyes wide and open with sincerety. "Leafclaw tells me you catch on pretty well, and have a knack for hunting."

Stoatpaw nodded, flicking an ear and looking away. "Y-Yeah," he croaked, returning his gaze to his father, "I do like hunting."

"Your first catch... wasn't it that juicy thrush that I saw you eating that one time?" Mossfang inquired once more, and Stoatpaw nodded, feeling himself open up to his father. After a quick conversation between them, Wheatstar jumped down to join them. Stoatpaw's elation increased with each second.

"Okay, dawn patrol. Is everyone present?" Wheatstar whipped her grand head around to face her clanmates, her eyes stopping on Stoatpaw. She leaned down to him. "This your first border patrol, apprentice?"

Stoatpaw nodded, and Wheatstar gave the signal with her tail for the patrol to move out. Stoatpaw might've been filling out a bit, but the patrol still had to wait for him to get out of the cave. Stoatpaw was astounded to see the moon low in the sky as the sun's first light began to peek over Hawk's Talon Peak.

As they made their way towards the Oakclan border, Fuzzytail fell next to Stoatpaw, keeping pace with him. "So, how's apprentice life?" she asked, and Stoatpaw shrugged his shoulders, practically wheezing. "Stoatpaw, you might want to stop eating all of those mice you catch."

Oh, great. And just yesterday she'd complimented him on how good he was looking!

They finally made it to the Oakclan border, and the sun was low in the sky. The roar of the river reached Stoatpaw's ears, and his gaze settled once more on the fast moving water that marked the border with Oakclan.

As the patrol renewed the border markers, a rustle appeared on the other side of the river. A black she-cat stepped out, alongside none other than Silverpaw and another tom, who looked like Silverpaw but with darker fur. The silver she-cat's eyes lit up upon seeing Stoatpaw, but dimmed slightly when she didn't see Tigerpaw. She waved her tail in greeting to the Steamclan patrol.

"Greetings, Spiderfur! What brings you to the river so early?" It was Wheatstar who spoke; Stoatpaw recognized the black she-cat as the deputy of Oakclan, who sat beneath Nettlestar at the gathering.

"Oh, Silverpaw, Duskpaw, and I are heading over to the Hot Springs later! We're catching some fish as tribute!" the black she-cat purred, looking affectionately down at the apprentices. "They are my kits, after all, and successfully drove a fox away from our territory two nights ago!"

Wheatstar blinked, her green eyes widening. "Well, isn't that something! Our two apprentices might see you there!" she called, and Spiderfur bowed her black head. The Steamclan patrol turned around to head back to the camp.

For the rest of the day, Stoatpaw trained with Leafclaw, despite being super tired. Leafclaw let him rest a bit while Tigerpaw was out on the sunhigh patrol; once he got back, they would head over to the hot springs.

* * *

Stoatpaw trudged through the forest, his fur clumping with sweat. It was mid-greenleaf, and the sun had been relentless that day. Tigerpaw was no better; he looked absolutely haggard as he bounded after Shiningeyes.

The forest suddenly thinned, and a grand sight met Stoatpaw and Tigerpaw's eyes: four huge springs were clustered next to each other, heat coming off of them in waves. One of the pools already had cats in it; from the stench that came from the pool, Stoatpaw guessed it was Hailclan.

"Okay, you two," Leafclaw began, standing proud and dipping his head to the Hailclan cats, "all you need to do is watch for newcomers and make sure no cat takes any prey that belongs on _our_ territory. Got it?"

 _Simple enough,_ Stoatpaw thought, shrugging and padding up to one of the large pools. It reeked of Oakclan, and he scrunched his nose. Just as the Steamclan patrol was spreading out, a group of cats entered through the ferns that bordered the far side of the clearing. Stoatpaw recognized the cats as Spiderfur, Silverpaw, and the tom apprentice, Duskpaw. Stoatpaw turned to Tigerpaw, whose eyes had widened and his fur had stuck out.

"Tigerpaw? Are you okay?" Stoatpaw asked, watching his brother blink his eyes before turning to his brother. He licked his shoulder, avoiding his brother's gaze. Stoatpaw thought that was suspicious.

He watched as the three cats came up to the Hot Spring he was standing behind, wading in easily. Spiderfur had obviously been there before, as she reclined in the water once it reached her shoulders. Silverpaw and her brother hung out near the edges of the spring, but it was obvious that Silverpaw had noticed Tigerpaw, because she was making faces at him and smiling whenever Spiderfur wasn't looking. Stoatpaw glanced at it brother, who was grimacing at Duskpaw.

 _He doesn't know that Duskpaw is her brother!_ He snickered, then another, more dangerous thought entered his head. _What if... what if Tigerpaw sees Duskpaw... or_ any _other Oakclan tom... as competition? That he thinks that Silverpaw is his?_ He shook his head, disgusted at such a thought. _No. No, Tigerpaw wouldn't do that. Sure, Silverpaw is really pretty and all, but we have pretty she-cats in our clan as well!_ His head turned to Fuzzytail. _Okay, maybe not. But he can't just break one of the most important clan rules just out of love! He has to realize that not everything can go_ his _way._

Another thought rose out of the darkness of his mind. _Stoatpaw, maybe you're just overreacting. You see your brother making goo-goo eyes at a pretty she-cat and you interpret it as heresy._ Still unable to shake off the feeling that Tigerpaw was doing something wrong, he made a deal with the other thought in his mind.

 _If something happens between them that is so bad that it gets in the way of their loyalty to their clan, then I'll tell Wheatstar._ He nodded his head, content at his new revelation. _Yeah. But only if it's damaging his relationship with his clan... or me._

* * *

As the sun began to set and the patrol of Steamclan warriors started to head back to their camp, Stoatpaw's mind was still racing with the thought that his brother was breaking the code. _Maybe it's just a kit crush! He'll grow out of it eventually!_ He thought, shaking his head. Leaping over one final log, the entrance to the cave that was their camp came into view. He sighed. The comfort of his nest was extremely tempting at that moment, and it was all he could think of as his sore paws led him down a steep incline of rocks and to the bottom of the cave.

He made a beeline for the fresh kill pile, glad that the hunting patrols had brought back good food. He picked up a thrush (it was steadily becoming his favorite) and made his way for the apprentice's den when a squeal caught his attention. Turning his white head towards the nursery, he watched as Larkkit and Hollykit scuffled on the ground, with Cloudkit watching nearby and cheering them on. Stoatpaw was beginning to wonder if Cloudkit wanted to be a warrior; he didn't seem to want to play with his other kits and spent more time looking after his sisters than anyone else.

 _If Darkseed decides to take him as an apprentice,_ Stoatpaw thought, turning to the apprentice's den. _That old cat has been so stubborn in choosing an apprentice! I remember Sageberry tried to become the medicine cat apprentice, but she told me of times when he would be the rudest cat in the clan!_ His thoughts went back to the time he got a thorn stuck in his pad as a kit and how rude Darkseed had been even then. Shivering, he entered the apprentice's den and flopped on his nest. Tigerpaw was nowhere in sight.

"He'll show up eventually," Stoatpaw told himself, enjoying his meal. After eating the thrush and licking his lips, he fell on his side and curled his tail around himself, going to sleep.


	11. Chapter 10: Newcomer

**Wooh chapter ten everyone! Can we try to make it to ten reviews to celebrate?**

 **Please, please, PLEASE read and review! I really want to know what you all think!**

 **Also, dreams will now be told through italics (sorry I haven't been doing that and possibly confusing others )**

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Tigerpaw went to sleep that night with his mind racing. He couldn't stop thinking about _Silverpaw._ She was a beauty; her sleek silver fur and pretty blue eyes were enough to make any tom fall in love. And... that gray tom she was with.

What was their relation? Were they just apprentices? Cousins? Siblings? Tigerpaw thought they looked too similar to be just cousins, but he was unsure. All he knew was that he really liked Silverpaw, and it wasn't good.

He couldn't love her. Loving her meant that he'd be breaking the warrior code to an extreme, and would be kissing his hopes of becoming leader away. But... she was so pretty, and when they spoke, he felt something just click between them. Loving her felt... natural.

Settling into his nest, he went to sleep, and dreamed of a world where he and Silverpaw were together and no one could disapprove the relationship.

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Something incredibly shocking happened the next day, and Tigerpaw was there to witness it. Stoatpaw, who was out on a hunting patrol, came home to find quite a shock.

Tigerpaw had been sitting next to Fuzzytail. The two were sharing a shrew, and Mossfang was organizing patrols. The day seemed to be off to a normal start, when a strange scent reached Tigerpaw's nose.

"What... what's that smell?" he asked Fuzzytail, sniffing the air. Fuzzytail began sniffing as well, and her eyes widened. Tigerpaw watched her leap up in fright and anger, her tail lashing behind her.

"That's the reeking stench of Hailclan!" she shouted, looking at the entrance of the cave. Mossfang's head twisted towards her, and Wheatstar bounded out of her den, her fur bridtling. Tigerpaw looked at where she was looking: sure enough, there was a massive, pure golden tom standing there, his head down and his shoulders slumped. In his jaws he held what looked like a kit, but almost too old to be one. Deerheart stood next to him, looking shamefully at the ground.

The cats of Steamclan watched in astonishment as Deerheart led the tom down to the center of the cave. Tigerpaw got a closer look at the kit: she had a dark golden fur color of her father, but the tabby pattern of Deerheart. She looked around the camp with wide eyes, mewling loudly.

"Papa? Where are we? Where's Sugarberry? A-And Daisykit? Papa?" she was frightened, her paws tucked in close to her as the tom approached Wheatstar next to Deerheart. Wheatstar bared her teeth, leaping down and confronting Deerheart. Tigerpaw, along with many other Steamclan cats, stood up and surrounded their clanmate and the rest of her party. Tigerpaw noted on how sad and pathetic Deerheart looked.

"Deerheart, what have you done bringing a _Hailclan_ warrior into the _Steamclan_ camp?" she turned her green gaze down to the kit, whose eyes were huge saucers, filled with fright. For a moment, Tigerpaw thought he saw sympathy flash in her eyes for the golden she-kit. She lifted her gaze, glaring ar Deerheart. "Well? Care to explain?"

"Wheatstar, I... I've done something very bad." Deertheart gulped, shuffling her paws. "I broke the warrior code... and had a single kit with Kestrelwind." the cats of Steamclan gasped, shocked murmurs spreading throughout the crowd. One of the elders shrieked, to which Wheatstar silenced the crowd. She looked ready to claw Deerheart's fur out. Deerheart gestured to the tom, Kestrelwind, who looked just as downcast as his mate.

"And why is he here?" Wheatstar growled.

Deerheart looked up. "Kestrelwind wishes to join Steamclan, along with our kit." Wheatstar bared her teeth, hissing at the golden tom. Tigerpaw's pelt tingled with anticipation.

"Please, Wheatstar." Kestrelwind stood up, dropping the kit at his paws. She scrambled between her father's legs, trembling. "I was the only survivor in a litter of three. My mother and siblings died of greencough when I was three moons old, and my father ate the deathberries to cope with the loss. Please, Deerheart is my only family left." he glanced at his mate, fear rushing into his expression as he took her head under his.

Wheatstar closed her mouth slowly, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth. She seemed to be contemplating something when she spoke, "Does Beetlestar know about this?"

"Yes, Wheatstar." Deerheart responded, smacking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Her mouth had gone dry. "Beetlestar seemed perfectly fine with it; he was kind enough to let Kestrelwind leave if he so desired, but to never return."

Wheatstar turned to Kestrelwind and sighed. "Very well. I will bring it up with Beetlestar at the next gathering. All cats who are tall enough to wade in the pools, gather beneath the Hot Spring's Paw!"

Wheatstar leaped up, taking her seat on the large piece of rock. Mossfang came up and sat next to her, his eyes wide. Deerheart curled her tail around her kit, looking fearfully up at her leader, who cleared her throat.

"Cats of Steamclan, Deerheart has brought a _Hailclan_ warrior into _our_ camp, claiming he wants to join our clan!" the previously gathered cats turned to the golden tom, who hung his head in shame. "He states that Beetlestar has given him permission, and that he is to never return. Do we allow him into our clan?"

The cats all looked at Kestrelwind; _he seems like an okay guy,_ Tigerpaw thought to himself, giving the first meow of approval. Fuzzytail followed soon after, and soon, the whole of Steamclan was shouting their approval. Kestrelwind had lifted his head, avoided the gazes he was getting. He seemed embarrassed.

Wheatstar shook her head, her tail flicking back and forth behind her. "By the powers of Starclan, I welcome this newcomer, Kestrelwind, into our clan as a warrior of Steamclan-- he has proven himself of no harm to our warriors, and does it for the sake of his kit. Along with him, I welcome his kit into the ranks as well." Wheatstar gazed down at Deerheart, who gave a loud scream of joy. She looked down and nuzzled her kit, who seemed frightened by all the noise. She whispered something in her kit's ear, and soon, the golden tabby sat upright, her pale blue eyes wide with wonder.

Wheatstar noticed this.

"Deerheart, how old is your kit, and what is her name?" the ginger she-cat purred. Tigerpaw's fur fluffed out; if this kit wasn't a kit, then he and Stoatpaw might not be alone in the apprentice's den!

Deerheart looked up, a sad smile on her face. "Her name is Mothkit, after my grandmother. She... she was three days away from her apprentice ceremony when I met Kestrelwind at the border."

Wheatstar looked down at Mothkit, who cowered under her gaze. She sighed, opening her mouth to once more address her clan. "Today, we not only welcome a new warrior into our ranks, but a new apprentice as well. Mothkit, come forward."

Tigerpaw's heart sped up. A new apprentice! Now, he might have someone to _really_ battle against, not chubby Stoatpaw who seemed to topple at the slightest touch! A real opponent to test his skills on!

He zoned out, only thinking of the possibilities of having a new denmate. He snapped back into it when he heard his mother's name, Pineholly, be called to be Mothkit's-- no, Moth _paw's_ \-- mentor. He, along with the rest of the clan, cheered.

The crowd dispersed, and Shiningeyes hopped up next to him, looking bewildered. "Well, that certainly was... interesting. Although, Kestrelwind isn't too bad of a warrior. He was always nice and polite to the cats of other clans, and now that I think about it, a little _too_ polite to Deerheart." she shuddered, turning her head to see Pineholly, Mothpaw, and Kestrelwind approach.

"I thought I could tag along with you and Tigerpaw, Shiningeyes." Pineholly explained, looking down at Mothpaw. "I'm going to show Mothpaw and Kestrelwind around the territory, and teach her how to hunt a bit."

Tigerpaw fell back next to Mothpaw, who was shivering. Her large blue, almost silver eyes were wide with fright. Tigerpaw sighed; it was going to be a long day.

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Tigerpaw had almost forgotten about Stoatpaw.

He remembered his brother when the white tom entered the apprentice's den, glancing at Mothpaw. The golden apprentice flicked her silvery eyes towards him, her fur floofing out as she pushed herself against the wall.

"Tigerpaw, why is there an unknown apprentice in our den?" he asked, when Mothpaw squeaked out in anger.

"I'm not unknown! My name is _Mothpaw_ I don't wanna be here, I'm supposed to be in Hailclan next to Sugarberry and Daisykit!" she sounded angry, laying her head down onto her nest in anger. "Ew! Your beds are super uncomfortable!"

Tigerpaw turned towards his brother. "Deerheart fell in love with a Hailclan tom, and Mothpaw was the result. She's only a bit younger than us, but not too much."

Stoatpaw nodded, going over to his nest and laying down. He began to make small talk with Mothpaw, who steadily came out of her shell and began to respond in short remarks. Tigerpaw sighed, setting his head against his nest and welcoming his dreams with open arms.

 **[linebreak]**

 _Tigerpaw followed Silverpaw through the forest, her silvery pelt guiding him. She would laugh ever so slightly, and his pelt would burn with affection. She was just_ perfect; _if Deerheart could fall in love with Kestrelwind, then he could surely fall in love with Silverpaw!_

 _"Silvertail? Ooh! How about Silverpelt?" the she-cat in front of him purred, her tail going back and forth as her bright eyes gazed into his blue ones. "No... perhaps Silverheart?"_

 _"Whatever your name, it will always be beautiful. Just like you." Tigerheart purred, hearing her_ mrrow _with affection. "Perhaps for me... maybe Tigerpatch?"_

 _"Tigerpatch sounds wonderful, dear." Silverpaw purred, her eyes widening. Suddenly her entire face went slack, and she was pulled away from Tigerpaw. His dream had become a nightmare, and he was frightened._

 _He watched her disappear into a thick blackness, and that overwhelming burning sensation filled him. The chant began in his head once more:_ Don't let him in.

 _The water appeared around him, and he seemingly resurfaced only to find the moon mocking him. He gazed in fright at his pelt; a silvery light was going over in places where his white and brown tabby pelt was turning into a silver tabby._

 _The sounds of screaming cats became deafening, and realization suddenly hit him._

 _This silver pelt... the pelt he was wearing... was Silverpaw's._

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	12. Chapter 11: Weakness

**Another installment! Please enjoy!**

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Stoatpaw woke up in the morning and immediately cast a glance towards Mothpaw. The golden tabby apprentice was sleeping in a way that made it look like she was hugging the wall.

Stoatpaw felt a pang in his heart. Sure, he was the one who began talking with Mothpaw, but it was _Tigerpaw_ who met her first, and had more time to talk to her. It was also _Tigerpaw_ who became fast friends with Silverpaw, and it was _Tigerpaw_ who would always tease him for being chubby and weak!

It really hurt him to see _Tigerpaw_ get all these amazing benefits whenever he was out somewhere being unsocial or whatever. The jealousy burned his pelt, and he had to step outside of the den to collect himself. Just as he set a pawstep outside, Rowanleap and Leafclaw approached.

"Stoatpaw, could you go get Mothpaw? I'd like you two to train together." Leafclaw asked, and Stoatpaw nodded, turning around.

"Do you want me to grab Tigerpaw as well?" Stoatpaw asked.

Leafclaw shook his head. "No need, Stoatpaw. I wanted to use you to help Mothpaw train since you... well, Tigerpaw just learns a lot faster than a lot of apprentices." Stoatpaw knew Leafclaw meant no harm, but he couldn't help his feeling of anger that burned under his pelt as he woke up Mothpaw.

"Whuzzat?" the apprentice mumbled, raising her head groggily. "S-Sugarberry? What's goin' on? Where's Daisykit?" her eyes adjusted and narrowed as she looked at Stoatpaw. "Oh. It's _you."_

"Y-Yeah, it's me..." Stoatpaw muttered, turning around and beckoning Mothpaw with his tail. "Rowanleap and Leafclaw want us to train together, so we have to go now."

"What about Shiningeyes? Is she coming?" Mothpaw asked, her bad mood gone.

"... No. She's Tigerpaw's mentor." Stoatpaw responded, refusing to look at the golden apprentice. "It'll be just me, Leafclaw, and Rowanleap today." he spun around and followed the two mentors out of the cave and to their training clearing.

The rest of the day, the two trained together. They teamed up together to catch mice and the like, and Stoatpaw's opinion of Mothpaw steadily changed. He found she was funny and imaginative, and a quick learner. _Like Tigerpaw._

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"... So then I said, 'Go catch your own mouse!'" Mothpaw and Stoatpaw crowed loudly at Stoatpaw's little joke; she and him were steadily becoming fast friends. The two were sitting in the cave next to the apprentice's den and sharing a thrush, Stoatpaw's favorite. "Sageberry was _so_ mad that time! I was surpised she didn't claw my fur out!"

Mothpaw gave another loud laugh, but stifled it when Tigerpaw stalked up. She shuffled her paws and gave a weak smile. "Hi, Tigerpaw! Care to join us?"

Tigerpaw nodded, sitting down. Mothpaw seemed like she wanted to say something, but couldn't. It was either because of Stoatpaw, or because of Tigerpaw.

"Uh... I'll be right back. I need to make dirt." Stoatpaw lied, standing up abrubtly and heading behin the Hot Spring's Paw to make dirt. He was hidden in the shadows and listened to the conversation going on between the two.

"Uh, so, Tigerpaw..." Mothpaw began, taking a ginger bite of the thrush. "I have a question."

"About what?" Tigerpaw responded.

"About Stoatpaw."

Stoatpaw's heart twisted; what was she going to say? She'd just gotten to know him, she couldn't _possibly_ say anything mean. He prayed to Starclan she wouldn't!

"What is it?"

"Stoatpaw's been an apprentice as long as you have, right?" she asked, taking another bite out of the thrush. Stoatpaw heard Tigerpaw mutter something inaudible, to which she responded, "Okay, yeah. I thought he was your brother. But... why is he so _weak?"_

"Weak?"

"Yeah. I mean, I've scuffled with kits back in Hailclan who are stronger than him. He seems like a leaf: one scratch and he's torn. You sure he's made out to be a warrior?"

Stoatpaw was steaming with anger. He thought she was his friend! But here she was, spewing on and on about how much of a _weakling_ he was. He hated that word _weak._ He hated how often it was used to describe _him!_

Enough was enough. He wasn't going to let him being weak bother him anymore. He'd beat Tigerpaw into the ground in the next fight they had, whether it was through training or anger, and show Mothpaw just how great _he_ could be! He wasn't _weak;_ he was on the path to become a strong warrior, just as anyone else!

He emerged to Mothpaw now chittering about mice, and politely excused himself. He made a beeline for the apprentice's den, heading into his nest and forcing himself to sleep.

Now, like Tigerpaw, he had a goal in life: to prove that he wasn't a weakling and that he could beat his brother in any fight!

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 _Stoatpaw awoke in a much different dreamscape than before. The sun was shining brightly, and the forest around him was lush and bountiful with prey. His mouth watering, he landed on a fat vole with ease, scarfing it up like a cat who hadn't eaten in ages._

 _Just as he finished, he heard paw prints behind him. He stood up and whipped around, only to be faced with a very pretty she-cat with almond-shaped amber eyes. Her fur was a deep brown tabby color, but in no way did she look like Pineholly. She was the slimmest cat he'd ever seen, but she had muscles that rippled beneath her pelt like waves._

 _"Hello, Stoatpaw." she said smoothly, walking briskly up to him. "I have heard your pleas, and have come to your aid. You seek to become stronger, yes?"_

 _Stoatpaw nodded, looking up at this mysterious cat. "Who... who are you?"_

 _She seemed to think for a minute, then smiled. "My name is Coppersnake. I help cats just like you to recognize their potential." she circled around him, her skinny tail going around his neck. If cats could blush, he certainly would've at that moment. She looked him in the eyes; hers were a brilliant green color he'd never seen before._

 _Suddenly, she struck. Stoatpaw didn't know what to think; he fell to the ground in a whining pile as Coppersnake continued to dart back and forth, striking just like a snake: a nip here, a snarl there. At one point she stood to her full height and roared, "Stoatpaw! You are not_ weak. _You just let your opponent knock you down and don't even try to get back up!"_

 _At those words, Stoatpaw thrust himself up and lunged. A sparkle rose in Coppersnake's eyes; Finally, some resistance. She found the small apprentice to be extremely fast, even though she was ultimately faster. She purred loudly._

 _"That's it, Stoatpaw! Use your speed; not everyone will be as swift as you are!" she dodged all of Stoatpaw's moves while saying this, and finally, when the apprentice seemed tired, stopping to catch his breath, she stop bouncing around. "That was good, Stoatpaw! Now let's--"_

 _The small tom had suddenly rushed forward, a paw outstretched as he hit her hard on the side of the head. She let out a hiss, and he back away, arching his back in anger. "Don't you_ ever _call me weak again, you Starclan cat!" he hissed, an angry gleam in his eyes. "_ You _were weak enough to let yourself be killed!"_

 _Coppersnake rose, glaring down at the tom. "Stoatpaw, no matter what happens, you will still die. But you're younger. You just became an apprentice. Now, again. And don't try any more dirty moves!"_

 _The two fought and trained all throughout Stoatpaw's dream; she taught him how to dodge an attack and take a hit. She'd accidentally snagged his ear with one of her claws, forgetting she wasn't actually fighting for her life._

 _"That shows progress." she told him, and he felt good about himself. This... cat of Starclan was helping him achieve his goal and show Tigerpaw and Mothpaw that he was just as good as them._

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Stoatpaw awoke to giggling and chittering. He blinked his eyes to find the camp extremely dark; the sun hadn't even rose! He licked his lips, heaving himself to his forepaws. He'd been awoken from his dream for this?

"Shh, Mothpaw! He's awake!"

"What's going on?" Stoatpaw growled, his blue eyes scanning the room to find Mothpaw and Tigerpaw. He found them, and was shocked to see them glaring at him. "What? What'd I do?"

Mothpaw spoke in her soft, pretty voice. "It's just... we were talking, is all."

"You seemed to be having a nightmare, Stoatpaw." Tigerpaw told him, and the moss shifted. Stoatpaw watched Tigerpaw's silhouette come and sit right next to him. "Are you okay? You seemed like you were in pain."

Stoatpaw looked away. "I'm fine. Just... having a nightmare is all." he turned to his brother. "What were you two talking about? Surely not my nightmare, this entire time!"

His fur fluffed out in anger as no one responded. "What, were you talking about how weak I am? Again?" the white apprentice swung his head to face Tigerpaw and Mothpaw. " _Well?_ Why were you two up?"

"Stoatpaw, you're not weak--"

"You certainly seemed to think that last night!" Stoatpaw roared at Mothpaw, who shrunk back. Tigerpaw got in front of her, hissing. Stoatpaw leaned forward to hiss in Tigerpaw's ear, "Don't even think about trying to feign this attraction towards Mothpaw. We both _really_ know it's the _Silverpaw_ show going on in there."

Tigerpaw's face fell, and if cats could pale in fright, he certainly would've.

Stoatpaw felt something rise up inside of him; it was a strange sensation, to know that he was _getting_ to Tigerpaw. The tom in question leaned back, his eyes wide. Stoatpaw realized he felt _triumphant._ He was getting to his brother in a way no one else could, and he liked it!

"Stoatpaw, y-you're not weak." Tigerpaw firmly stated, narrowing his eyes. "And I have no idea what you're talking about. Silverpaw is a very pretty apprentice, sure, but falling in love with an Oakclan cat would break one of the most important clan rules!"

Stoatpaw hissed, heading back to his nest. He looked his brother in the eye. "Tigerpaw, later today, we're going to train. And we're going to fight." he took a deep breath, the glint of determination appearing in his eye.

"And I'm going to _win._ "

 **[linebreak]**

 **Ooh! Stuff's going to *probably* start picking up here in a little bit, but I don't doubt that this story will be long-- whether it be chapter or word wise.**

 **Please read and review! I really want to make it to ten reviews!**


	13. Chapter 12: Fight

**This is it. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Also, this one's special, since it's told from Stoatpaw's perspective. It's the first time it's been told from the same cat's perspective consecutively.**

* * *

Stoatpaw didn't speak to Tigerpaw when he woke up. He could tell that Mothpaw was feeling somewhat remorseful, as she kept looking at him and trying to get him to talk to her, but he refused.

His mind was racing all morning as he struggled to remember Coppersnake's words. He told himself that she'd see him tonight, but the more he thought about their meeting, the more he realized it was probably just a weird, weird dream.

Leafclaw and Shiningeyes knew nothing as they approached, all smiles. Shiningeyes exchanged loving glances with Rowanleap, and Tigerpaw and Mothpaw were chatting. Stoatpaw began to wonder about Tigerpaw's relationship with Silverpaw, and if he had moved on now that Mothpaw was here.

To distract himself from his possible impending doom, he padded over to the nursery. His mother had moved in a little sooner than usual, as there really wasn't anything to do but patrol the borders during greenleaf and catch prey. Outside the nursery was Larkkit, Hollykit, and Cloudkit.

"Stoatpaw! It's been _forever_!" Larkkit exclaimed, throwing her small body onto his and ravaging his foreleg with her tiny claws. Her big green eyes were like saucers; questioning.

Hollykit barreled up, tackling her sister. Stoatpaw backed up as Cloudkit threw himself into the mix, and the three siblings tousled on the ground. Stoatpaw was content standing there and watching them, when Leafclaw called him.

"Come on, Stoatpaw! Tigerpaw says you're feeling confident about sparring. We'll head on over and get started!" the brown tabby tom hurled himself up the cave wall and out of sight. The rest of the mentors and apprentices followed suite, once again waiting for Stoatpaw.

 _I'll ask Coppersnake if she knows anything about climbing stone walls,_ he mentally told himself. In front of him, he glared at Tigerpaw's large, muscular form, and hated his tiny, fat one. _Starclan, I am one ugly cat._

The patrol made it to the training clearing, where the groups split up. Tigerpaw and Mothpaw sparred a bit, with Mothpaw being the victor fair and square. Leafclaw sparred Stoatpaw, commenting on how good he was getting, seemingly overnight.

Stoatpaw had to mentally prepare himself for his sparring match with Tigerpaw. _Remember, Stoatpaw, you are going to_ win. _Coppersnake told you herself that you were going to train hard and become strong. Prove yourself to her by beating Tigerpaw!_

Leafclaw stopped their sparring match after a particularly nasty blow from Stoatpaw sent his head spinning. He shook out his fur and exclaimed, "I think Stoatpaw's trained pretty well! He's ready to uh... to take on Tigerpaw!"

Stoatpaw asked himself why the rest of his clan viewed him as a weakling. _Am I not good enough to be considered an equal?_ He thought, his tail drooping. He only narrowed his eyes and perfected his battle stance. Mothpaw sat in the background, looking sick. It was obvious she thought that Stoatpaw was going to die.

Shiningeyes, Rowanleap, and Leafclaw all sat next to each other, watching the young apprentices for the first move. Tigerpaw got right in front of his brother, leaning down on all fours. Stoatpaw did the same, remembering his sparring match with Coppersnake. She'd been a full on _warrior,_ and she'd said that his sparring was pretty good!

"Start!" Leafclaw shouted, and Tigerpaw rushed at his brother.

Stoatpaw remembered everything before the first blow. A soft breeze was hitting his right ear; the scent of a vole wafted nearby; Hawk's Talon Peak sat above him, mocking him; the leaves rustled.

It was as if he'd struck a revelation. His muscles tensed as Tigerpaw swiped his leg, trying to uproot him; it was obvious he'd overthought his ease in winning, because Stoatpaw didn't budge. Tigerpaw stared at his unmoving brother in confusion, before the white tom leaped.

His paws went straight to his brother's, pinning him to the ground. His hind legs pummeled Tigerpaw's stomach, before his brother sent him sprawling with his own hind legs.

The brown and white tom leaped up and rushed once more at Stoatpaw, who hadn't stood up yet. He crushed him into the ground, holding his shoulders down. Stoatpaw struggled; he couldn't wiggle free! So, he did what came to his mind first.

He went limp.

Tigerpaw froze immediately, concern plastering on his face. "Stoatpaw, oh Starclan, I'm so-"

Stoatpaw leaped up and bashed into his brother, a yowl escaping his lips. Tigerpaw's eyes widened as he was thrown several feet from the impact; Stoatpaw thought he'd won when his brother's form rushed at him through the cloud up dust, striking a paw against his head.

He saw stars, and fell against the ground. He couldn't stand. His body ached, his stach cramped, and his lungs hurt. He felt drool pooling beneath his face as his brother and mentor approached.

He barely heard Leafclaw when he yowled, "Tigerpaw is the victor!"

Mothpaw gave a squeal of delight, rushing up to him. The two tussled on the ground like long lost siblings, while Leafclaw helped Stoatpaw to his feet.

Stoatpaw had blocked out all noise. One word raced through his mind: _weak._ He _was_ weak! Mothpaw and Tigerpaw were right, he'd never be as strong as them! He should just give up all his warrior training and become Darkseed's moody apprentice who was too bad to be a warrior apprentice!

Leafclaw sensed he was not happy about this, and dismissed the apprentices. Tigerpaw and Mothpaw raced back to the camp, Stoatpaw dragging behind.

He watched the two go to grab a mouse to share; he just went straight to the apprentice's den and fell asleep.

* * *

 _Coppersnake was looking down at him, a mother's worry shining in her eyes._

 _Even in Starclan, Stoatpaw had retained his bruises, and the fur around his eyes was crusted in tears. He stood rigid, his mouth in a grimace as he cried, his fur sticking straight out in fear._

 _"Coppersnake, I tried. I tried everything you-you taught me, but my brother still beat me into the ground." Coppersnake padded towards him, sitting in front of him. "I-I'll never be a good warrior... I should just give up and become a medicine cat!"_

 _"Stoatpaw, stop crying." Coppersnake demanded in a soothing tone, and Stoatpaw shut right up. Her eyes pierced his, and he felt a spark ignite within him. "Leafclaw hasn't been teaching you as rigorously as Shiningeyes and Rowanleap, and you need to stop eating half of the fresh kill pile for dinner." She sat up straight, looking down at him. "Stoatpaw, I, Coppersnake, will make myself your honorary mentor until you become a warrior."_

 _Stoatpaw looked up at her in disbelief. "R-Really?"_

 _Coppersnake nodded, her fur glinting in the light of Starclan. "Yes. And I will make sure you become the best warrior you can ever be!"_

* * *

 **There we go. Veeery short, but full of important stuff to the plot. Things are going to be picking up pretty quickly from here, and I hope that the chapters steadily become longer.**

 **Please? Can we make it to at least 5 reviews?**


	14. Chapter 13: Mothpaw

**Okay, here we are! Chapter 13! I don't know how many chapters are left, but hey, we made it to chapter thirteen!**

 **Aaand thank you SO MUCH Trinity, for reviewing! I appreciate your review so much!**

 **Also... new POV!**

 **Please review? I would appreciate it soooo much!**

* * *

Mothpaw sat up in her bed. Tigerpaw was asleep on her right, his chest rising and falling with each breath. His nose was twitching; she suspected it was because he was having a pleasant dream.

She turned her head over to Stoatpaw, who was a completely different story. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. His face was contorted into a deep grimace, and his body was rigid. Just as she was about to leave the den, his body relaxed, and she watched him fall into a much calmer state.

She sighed, setting her head on her paws. "I miss home..." she whispered, burrowing her nose into her nest. "I miss Daisykit... who's probably Daisypaw, anyway... and Sugarberry! But... at least I have Kestrelwind..."

The Hailclan camp had been all she'd known for six moons. She had been Daisykit- no, Daisy _paw's_ sister, living within the comfort of Sugarberry's flank and Kestrelwind's love. The whole clan believed they loved each other, until Kestrelwind's lie slipped and she was now in an unknown clan amongst unknown cats.

She didn't let anyone see her true feelings about Steamclan. The cats were nice, sure, but... Deerheart didn't seem like her mother. It had always been Sugarberry, who loved her and cleaned her as a kit. And cute Daisypaw, with her black and white patched pelt and glowing amber eyes. She had told Daisypaw they'd grow up to become amazing warriors and maybe even leader, but now... she sighed, closing her eyes.

"... Mothpaw?" the golden apprentice sat up, her each perking. Looking to the entrance of the den, she saw the form of a cat. Upon closer inspection, it was Deerheart.

"... Oh. Hi." Mothpaw mumbled, flicking an ear. She gingerly got up from her nest to join her mother by the entrance to the den. "Er, hi, Deerheart. Why're you up so late?"

The cream she-cat sighed. "Can't sleep," she muttered.

"Me neither."

"Do you want to walk with me?" Deerheart asked, looking at Mothpaw expectantly. She then shied away, a dejected expression taking over her face. "It's ok if you don't want to, I understand."

"No, Deerheart, I-I'll walk with you." Mothpaw meowed, stepping towards her mother. Deerheart turned around and nodded her head, and the two she-cats stepped out of the den and into the cavity that was their camp.

Mothpaw would never get used to it. The Hailclan camp was in a beautiful valley filled with prey and fir trees, and the leader, Beetlestar, had always been so kind to her. _It might be because Kestrelwind is his sister's son, so I am his kin._ Mothpaw had reasoned when she was a kit.

Thinking about her life as a kit made her wonder: who was Daisypaw's father? Everyone had assumed that she and Daisypaw were siblings, but... why hadn't Daisypaw come with her?

The two she-cats crawled out of the cave, and Mothpaw followed her mother to a beautiful clearing. Only by studying the claw scratches in the dirt and the obvious scratches on the trees did she realize that it was their training field.

Deerheart sat down, staring at the moon. "Mothpaw, I will tell you a story. Once upon a time," she said quietly, turning her gaze to her daughter, "there was an apprentice. She had a brother and a sister who were both kits, and loved them dearly, despite being older. She was an apprentice alongside two others, a handsome white tom and a pretty brown she-cat. She loved the white tom, until she went on her first border patrol.

"She patroled the Hailclan border and met a young tom much like her: an only child, somewhat of a third wheel. They met at a gathering and became fast friends. When they were warriors, they met on their own, and had a young kit.

"This kit was what they loved most in the world. She was tiny and cute, and loved to play. But they had nowhere to take her. So, her father took her to his clan while her mother went to hers. The little kit grew up alongside another little kit, who was born only days before and had no siblings. The secret was kept safe... until her father became lonely.

"So now, her, her father, and her mother lie happily in her mother's clan, where she made new friends and soon forgot the old ones." Deerheart sat up, and turned to her kit. "That kit was you, Mothpaw. I want you and Tigerpaw to become friends, and I want you to help Stoatpaw. He's a good tom, both of them are."

Mothpaw was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected her mother to tell her her coming-into-existence story quite like that. Deerheart whispered, "Mothpaw, Kestrelwind and I love you. I want you to know that."

Mothpaw pressed into her mother's fur, welcoming the warm tongue that pressed into her temple. The more she thought about it, the more distant Daisypaw and Sugarberry seemed. She was content right there, sitting in her mother's arms beneath the silvery light of the moon.

* * *

Mothpaw woke up to find Stoatpaw asleep in his bed, and Tigerpaw gone. She turned around quickly to go find the tom, but was stopped by a barage of kits.

Two of them were she-kits, and were obviously playing a game. They quickly became annoying to her, but the tomkit just stared at her in wonder. She wondered why.

"Mothpaw! Come play with us!" it was the small brown kit, Larkkit, she thought. Larkkit bounded up to her, her big, green eyes shining from the sunlight that came into the cave. "Or, if you're too busy, can Stoatpaw play with us?"

"Stoatpaw's... busy," she lied, and sending the kits off to play on their own. She spotted Brambleoak, and was quick to ask where Tigerpaw was.

"Oh, I think he's cleaning out the elder's pelts!" she told her, and Mothpaw thanked her, heading to the elder's den. She passed Deerheart, who was sharing tongues with Kestrelwind, a half-eaten thrush laying nearby. She wondered if her parents would have any more kits; since her talk with her mother last night, younger siblings didn't seem too bad.

Then, she spotted him. Her heartbeat quickened as she caught sight of his surprisingly muscular pelt, and his gleaming white fur. Even as he cleaned ticks out of the elder's pelts, which were dripping wet from the nearby pool, he gave off somewhat of an air of dominance and nobility.

"Uh, h-hey, Tigerpaw!" she called, padding up to him. She swallowed, her throat going dry. "Do you think I could help?" she asked, gesturing to the mouse bile that lay sitting on a leaf. Tigerpaw shrugged, and she got to work on one of the elders- Kalethroat, she believed.

"... That was some fight yesterday." Mothpaw breathed when the tension became thick, "Stoatpaw didn't stand a chance against you. He's just so... fat, and pudgy. I don't see how he can be a good warrior."

"Be careful watchyu say, young'un," Kalethroat snapped when Mothpaw finished. "Our own Wheatstar was as puny an' pudgy as dear ol' Stoatpaw ova there!" he gestured to the apprentice's den. Mothpaw watched Stoatpaw exit and become bombarded with the kits. "'E's good wit the kits, too! If 'e was a medicine cat, he'd be every bit as good as Hazelface!"

Tigerpaw winced, and Mothpaw blinked. The two apprentices sat in silence until they were finished, and the elders left them. Mothpaw went to fetch themselves a mouse and a vole respectively. As Mothpaw dug into her mouse, Tigerpaw began shaking his head.

"Don't listen to Kalethroat. Stoatpaw's just on the chubbier side of things. I don't think he was meant to be a warrior apprentice, but it's too late now." Tigerpaw said, his fur bristling. Mothpaw nodded in agreement, swallowing her bite. "I mean, look at him! Rolling on the ground with a bunch of kits. I don't need to feel guilty for a tom like that! That move he pulled yesterday was a _dirty one._ "

Mothpaw blinked, finishing her mouse. She licked her lips and reclined on her side; she was starting to get used to the feel of the smooth rock against her fur. It was soothing.

The day passed quickly, and soon, Mothpaw went to bed wondering if training Stoatpaw was even worth it.

* * *

 **This chapter was more of a filler chapter, but it does bring to light a little about Mothpaw and how she acts.**

 **Pleease review! Still trying to get to my goal of 10 reviews!**


	15. Chapter 14: Bonds

**Ooh... this one's a short one!**

 **Here we are with chapter fourteen, and back with Tigerpaw! It's been a while writing him, but I'm hoping to have fun with it!**

* * *

Two sunrises had passed since Tigerpaw's scuffle with Stoatpaw. _Two sunrises._ And throughout the scuffle, Tigerpaw could tell that Stoatpaw was hiding something.

But... Tigerpaw was also hiding something. He was hiding his dreams about Silverpaw, the she-cat he liked a little more than he should. But... pudgy little Stoatpaw wasn't supposed to rise up like he did. He was only supposed to go into the battle confident and come back out wrecked!

 _A kit crush on a friendly apprentice isn't anything to worry about,_ Tigerpaw reasoned as he finished cleaning the mouse bile from his paws. He turned his gaze to Mothpaw, whose sleek golden pelt glimmered in the sunlight that came from the cave's entrance. _I should probably focus more on Mothpaw... she's the closest to a friend I've ever had,_ and _we share the same views._

But... he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to get closer to Mothpaw for fear of damaging his relationship with Silverpaw. The golden she-cat sitting in front of him was pretty, but she was no Silverpaw. Mothpaw could never make him feel the way he did about Silverpaw.

"Uh... Tigerpaw?" Mothpaw's voice snapped him out of his thinking, and he lifted his gaze to meet her silver one. Tigerpaw thought it odd how her blue eyes were as pale blue as Silverpaw's coat. Mothpaw blinked, and said awkwardly, "You're staring at me."

She shuffled her paws, swinging her tail around her feet as Tigerpaw blinked a few times to wake himself out of his stupor. He shook his head and stood up, stuttering, "I uh, sorry. I'm... gonna go clear my head." he left Mothpaw's side, clambering over to and up the cave wall, exiting into the outside world. He knew exactly where he was going: the Oakclan border.

He knew that if he was going out, he might as well bring back prey. He caught two mice and burried them to collect them on his way back.

Once the roar of the river reached his ears, his heartbeat quickened. He burst through the ferns lining the riverbank, his blue eyes wide as he searched for Silverpaw. His dreams made him worry that it was her who had drowned... but a flash of silver later, and he was staring into her beautiful blue eyes.

"Tigerpaw? Tigerpaw, it's you!"" she exclaimed, her face lighting up as she leaned forward to look at him. Her whiskers were soon covered in water from the spray of the river. "Wait, hold on- I'll come over!"

Her pelt shimmered with each movement as she bunched up her muscles, getting to leap. Tigerpaw's heart fluttered as he watched a cute look of determination cross her face right when she was about to jump. As much as he wanted her to do so, he knew she couldn't. He quickly shouted, "Wait, Silverpaw, don't-"

Splash! She was already swimming through the water, a determined glint shining in her blue eyes. She resurfaced on the other side, climbing out and nuzzling Tigerpaw. She breathed, "Tigerpaw, I've been... thinking about you."

"You've been in my dreams, to be honest," Tigerpaw exclaimed, staring into her blue eyes lovingly. She giggled, turning her head from his. He leaned towards her even more, saying, "Oh, Silverpaw! I haven't seen you in so long. How are things in Oakclan?" he sniffed her, thankful that the river had temporarily masked her scent.

"Oh, things are perfect. Duskpaw and I... we're close to becoming warriors!" she giggled, then explained when she saw a concerned look spread aross Tigerpaw's face, "Duskpaw is my brother. He and I came with our mother, Spiderfur, to one of the hot springs recently... it was really fun! Anyway, how is your clan going?"

"Things are going great. There's a new apprentice! Her name's Mothpaw, and she has pretty golden fur." he nuzzled her when he saw her face fall. "But definitely not as pretty as yours." Silverpaw purred at that, and the two crawled close to each other. Silverpaw's wet pelt pressed into Tigerpaw's dry one, and he purred deep in his throat.

"Tigerpaw, I... I wish we were warriors already!" Silverpaw wailed, dashing the dirt with a paw. "Then, maybe Oakclan and Steamclan would allow us to be... together." Tigerpaw's heart soared; he was a young apprentice, and Silverpaw wasn't very far from her own warrior ceremony. But the way she made him feel was indescribable.

He stood up, nuzzling her one last time. "Don't worry, Silverpaw. Whatever happens, I'll... I'll be here." Their tails entwined, and they bid farewell to each other. Tigerpaw turned around to head back to camp, and decided to go on a little hunting spree until the sun set bow the horizon.

Picking up his catches, he went back home. Silverpaw was the only thing on his mind.

* * *

"Tigerpaw, you're positively soaked!"

"Woah, Tigerpaw! Did you go to the _river_?"

"Of course not, he brought back mice!"

Brambleoak pushed her kits back towards her, purring. She then looked square at Tigerpaw. "I don't know what you were doing, but you better go get cleaned up! You look a mess!"

Tigerpaw nodded. "Okay, Brambleoak." he left her and her kits, feeling Larkkit's gaze linger on him. His fur stood up. _What is with that cat? Larkkit is certainly something else..._

He cleaned himself up and went over to the fresh kill pile, grabbing a sparrow and heading off to a cozy corner by the Apprentice's Pool. Mothpaw joined him, shivering.

"I don't know where you ran off to, but Stoatpaw is _weird._ All throughout practice he kept mumbling to himself!" she took a bite of her mouse, scooting closer to Tigerpaw. The brown and white tom shifted. "Seriously! And, he's been getting better. Like, he's still pudgy and all, but he's faster than a bird!"

Tigerpaw flicked an ear. "Did he beat you in a fight?"

"Pssh, _no._ He'd never beat me in a fight. I'm stocky like my dad!" she finished her mouse, licking her lips and discarding the bones. "Well, here he comes. I'm going off to bed before he can talk to me about it!"

Sure enough, Tigerpaw turned his head to see his fluffy white brother. Only now did he notice a small nick in his brother's ear. He shot up.

"Stoatpaw! Where's you get _that?_ " he asked, gesturing to Stoatpaw's ear. Stoatpaw looked away.

"I snagged it on some brambles coming home from training with Leafclaw... it's nothing to worry about, Tigerpaw." He left his brother's side, heading into the den.

Something was off. Stoatpaw was _hiding_ something.

 _But... you're hiding something too. You're hiding Silverpaw._ He brushed it off, following his brother into the apprentice's den for bed.

* * *

 **Aah, there we go! Finished! Also, this chapter was beta'd by the lovely SilverMidnightMoon! Please, go check them out!**

 **Also, thanks for all of the lovely reviews I got! Still only four, but hey, it's a personal record!**


	16. Chapter 15: What Do I Believe In?

**Here we are! Chapter fifteen! Hopeyou enjoy!**

 **Ooh... some stuff happens in this chapter for sure!**

* * *

 _"No, no, no!" Stoatpaw shrank back, his flaws scratching against the ground of Starclan. His fur fluffed out in fright; it wasn't the first time that Coppersnake had lashed out at him like that. "Your feet are always spread too wide apart! You'll never win battles like that!"_

 _"I'm sorry, Coppersnake! I-I'm just not flexible enough!" Stoatpaw wailed, looking down at the ground of Starclan. Coppersnake breathed in, and locked his pale blue gaze with her amber one._

 _"Okay, Stoatpaw. I'm going to tell you a story. The premise might be a little questionable, but the moral is still there." she stood up, proceeding to speak as she adjusted Stoatpaw's form._

 _"A long, long time ago, there lived a she-cat. Now, she had a sister, and they were inseparable. But a great battle broke out, and their mother was slain by a ginger warrior with no mercy. As they grew up, our main character- the she-cat- found out that her sister was breaking the warrior code by falling in love with her mother's killer._

 _"Now, our main-character knew this was wrong. She took care of her sister and the tom, and was thanked by her leader. She became deputy and eventually the leader of her clan. But she was not happy. Cats out there were breaking the warrior code, and she believed it was her duty to correct their ways._

 _"She corrected the ways of many warriors, all who now reside in Starclan. Despite constant threats to the beliefs she preached, she never gave up." Coppersnake stepped away from Stoatpaw, her face pleased at his corrected form. "Stoatpaw... hmm. How does Stoatstar sound to you?"_

 _His ears pricked. "I-I could probably be leader, but Tigerpaw wants it more than I do." Coppersnake blinked at his response, and shrugged. She leapt at him._

 _"Think of our main character! She never gave up what she believed. What do you believe, Stoatpaw!?" Coppersnake roared as she hit him on the shoulder, sending him tumbling._

 _Stoatpaw thought about it. "What_ do _I believe in?" he whispered, just as Coppersnake began to advance. "I believe... that I am_ STRONG!" With a roar he leapt to his feet, turning just as Coppersnake reached him and kicking her square in the chest with his hind legs.

 _He chased after her, pouncing on her before she could get up. He began to go at her stomach, and leapt off once Coppersnake stood. He pounced on her back, but was soon defeated as she rolled over._

 _"That was better, Stoatpaw. Again!" with a groan, the apprentice in question stood up, going after Coppersnake once more._

* * *

Days passed since his last dream with Coppersnake. The she-cat had been right; he just needed to figure out what he believed in. And he believed that he was _strong._

As he, Tigerpaw, and Mothpaw grew up, the hot, greenleaf sun soon turned cold. They continued their training with their mentors (and Stoatpaw with Coppersnake) despite the cold weather. It was Stoatpaw's first leaf-fall as an apprentice.

He found out that his thick white pelt was pretty useful this time of year. It protected him from the cold, which gave him somewhat of an advantage over Mothpaw and Tigerpaw. Those two would be concerned over their shivering bodies instead of fighting, allowing him to swoop in and finish them off easily.

Many things had changed within the clan. Sageberry and Sandfoot had finally come out as mates, and Mistyspots had her second litter of kits. There were three little furballs now: Dawnkit, a light ginger tabby just like her father; Stonekit, a silver kit with his mother's pelt color and father's tabby pattern; and Sweetkit, a light gray, almost white, she-kit with amber eyes.

It was a cold, leaf-fall day. Pineholly had just had her second litter of kits a couple days ago, and Sageberry was sitting in the nursery waiting patiently for hers. Stoatpaw decided that before Leafclaw grabbed him for training, he'd visit his younger siblings for the first time since they were born.

As he stood, he looked back at his body. _Still thick and a little pudgy, but hey, three moons of training with Leafclaw_ and _Coppersnake have done me well! I'm almost as big as Tigerpaw!_

 _Almost_ was an understatement. To any other cat, Stoatpaw was arguably bigger than Tigerpaw. All of that training had helped him form muscles in his forelegs, and as he grew, it was obvious he was going to be as big as his father, Mossfang.

But Tigerpaw had a lot more muscle on him. Tigerpaw was a naturally good fighter, and his muscles grew like weeds. Stoatpaw knew that when he was a warrior, she-cats would probably swoon for him.

And then... Mothpaw. It was becoming obvious that she was half Hailclan, as though she had the endurance and muscle structure of a Steamclan cat, she was tiny and lean, like her father, Kestrelwind.

Brushing off these thoughts, he made his way to the nursery, where Darkseed was exiting. The grumpy black tom grumbled a greeting to Stoatpaw, and then left for his den.

Stoatpaw entered, mumbling a greeting to Sageberry, who was asleep. He made his way over to his mother, and was completely surprised to see _four_ tiny bundles sitting there!

Pineholly smiled. "Hello, Stoatpaw. These are your little brothers and sisters." her tail swept away, and she revealed the four kits. "They don't have names yet; go get your brother. I'd like you two to name them."

Stoatpaw's eyes widened, and he nodded, rushing out of the nursery to find Tigerpaw. Luckily, he found him cleaning out the elder's den _yet again._ Stoatpaw shook his head in laughter at the sight as he called, "Tigerpaw! Mom wants to see you?"

Tigerpaw looked up, confusion on his face. "Didn't she just have her kits?"

"She did! And she wants _us_ to help name them!"

That got Tigerpaw up. The young apprentice bolted upwards, racing towards the nursery alongside Stoatpaw (much to the elder's dismay).

The two rushed in, and Sageberry hissed at them. "Sorry, sorry," Stoatpaw murmured, heading straight to his mother. The two growing apprentices practically filled up the entire nursery, and Pineholly purred, revealing her kits.

They were beautiful. The first kit was pure white, just like Mossfang. When she opened her eyes to look at Stoatpaw and Tigerpaw, they were green. The second kit was mewling. She had a lighter version of Pineholly's pelt; it reminded Stoatpaw of Coppersnake. The third was big and had a dark brown tabby pelt. He looked like an all-brown version of Tigerpaw. The fourth had a tabby pattern just like her brother, but in some places, the brown was a lighter shade, making her look like a weird toroiseshell.

"Can I name the last one?" Tigerpaw breathed, and Pineholly nodded. He walked up and purred, "Hello there, Hawkkit. Welcome to the world!"

Hawkkit! One of his new little sister's was named Hawkkit. Stoatpaw loved it. Pineholly turned to him. "And you, dear? Which one would you like to name?"

Stoatpaw thought about names for each of them. He wanted to call the white kit Snowkit, and the dark brown kit Darkkit. But there was the second kit left. Looking at her one more time, and seeing a flash of amber in her eyes, he blurted, "I want to name that kit Copperkit." _After Coppersnake, who's been so nice to me._

Pineholly purred. "Those names are wonderful! I think I'll name the white kit Whitekit, and the dark tabby Emberkit." Stoatpaw purred at those names before Pineholly sped them along. Tigerpaw bid him farewell to finish his job with the elders; Stoatpaw sat around, thinking about Coppersnake. _She's been a great mentor, but kinda weird. Well, she_ is _a Starclan cat. Starclan cats_ are _weird._

"Stoatpaw! Stoatpaw!" he knew that voice anywhere. It was Larkkit! he turned around to see her and her siblings speeding towards him. They were getting big; almost too big for the nursery! They all had Leafclaw's broad shoulders and Brambleoak's long legs.

Larkkit and Hollykit began to scuffle, but Cloudkit kept going. "Stoatpaw! Is it hard being an apprentice?"

Stoatpaw thought about it. "Uh, no! It's not too hard at all!" Cloudkit nodded and then went to play with his siblings. Stoatpaw shook his head. _Kits. What short attention spans!_

"All cats old enough to wade in the pools, gather beneath the Hot Spring's Paw for a clan meeting!" Wheatstar yowled, and all of the cats gathered beneath for her clan meeting. Tigerpaw came up to sit next to his brother. Wheatstar continued, "The following cats will be going to the gathering two nights from now!"

The cats began to murmur and whisper between themselves. _I hope I get picked! Only Mothpaw got to go last time!_

"Vixenleg, Rowanleap, Mossfang, Darkseed, Leafclaw, Heatherfur, Sandfoot, Fuzzytail, Mothpaw, Stoatpaw, Deerheart, Kestrelwind, and Tigerpaw!" Stoatpaw yowled with triumph; he was going! Tigerpaw was practically jumping out of his fur. Shiningeyes, who wouldn't be going, touched noses with Rowanleap. It was obvious to the whole clan: they were mates!

"Okay, cats! Now let's get back to work!" Wheatstar yowled, and the cats of Steamclan cheered.

Stoatpaw looked at Tigerpaw, who was red in the face with happiness.

They were going to another gathering!

* * *

 **In the beginning we hear some plot important stuff, and in the middle we meet their little siblings after a timeskip! Hooray!**

 **Thanks so much for the reviews, I appreciate it so much! 3**

 **This chapter was beta'd by SilverMidnightMoon!**


	17. Chapter 16: Declarations

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Please, please, _pleeeeaaase_ read and REVIEW! I would really like to know EVERYONE's thoughts on the story!**

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Tigerpaw was excited to be going to the gathering. _I just hope that Silverpaw- no, Silver_ dust _will be there!_ he thought to himself, purring quietly. The thought of seeing the pretty silver tabby made his breakfast prey come to life and start bouncing around in his stomach.

For the past three moons, Tigerpaw had gone out to the border to visit her. She'd earned her warrior name, Silverdust, only a moon ago. She and him had a bond that was unbreakable. He knew that, even though the clan would disapprove if they ever found out, he never would.

He loved her.

Even as an apprentice halfway through his training, he knew he loved Silverdust. He wasn't sure if she loved him as much as he loved her, but he knew something was there. A little spark had ignited when they first met, and it had led them all this way.

The clan dispersed, and the three apprentices were left alone. Stoatpaw bid farewell to Mothpaw and Tigerpaw, heading up the cave wall to meet Leafclaw for hunting practice. The two were then left alone, together, in the cave.

Mothpaw cleared her throat and licked a paw. Her pelt shimmered even in the dim light provided by the cave. Tigerpaw looked at her, and compared her to Silverpaw- no, Silver _dust_. She was definitely pretty, but not Silverdust-pretty. Mothpaw cleared her throat loudly again.

"You're staring again, Tigerpaw."

"R-Right." Tigerpaw stuttered, looking away. Mothpaw stood, her tail sweeping against the floor of the cave. The way her silvery eyes looked at him was a look he knew well: she was becoming shy. Tigerpaw wondered if she liked him.

"Tigerpaw! Mothpaw! Come here, we're going to do some training!" It was Shiningeyes, who was standing right beside Rowanleap. Tigerpaw knew that Shiningeyes would be in the nursery as soon as he became a warrior, especially with the way she and Rowanleap acted around each other.

"Coming!" Mothpaw shouted, her silver-blue eyes glinting as she turned to Tigerpaw and flicked him playfully with her tail. He blinked at her awkward and obvious display of affection. "C'mon, Tigerpaw! Let's see who can get to the top of the cave wall the fastest!"

She purred, leaping forward and dashing towards the cave wall. Tigerpaw dashed after her. Elation filled inside of him, and he was happy to be a Steamclan cat. He was happy that, for one moment, he didn't have to worry about loving Silverpaw- _dust._ He didn't have to worry about loving Silver _dust._

The two clambered up the wall, using all their strength. Tigerpaw was sure he'd win, but Mothpaw's lithe body gave her the advantage. She won, and gave a yowl of triumph. Then, she shrunk in on herself thanks to the cold.

"M-Man, I don't ever remember Hailclan being this cold!" she exclaimed, shivering. Tigerpaw nodded, looking longingly back at the cave.

Rowanleap chuckled, his ginger fur glinting in the sunlight. "That's because you were most likely a kit in the cold months up there. You were always surrounded by warmth!"

Mothpaw gave a sheepish look, curling her tail around her feet. With a twinkle in her eye, Shiningeyes stood and beckoned the other three cats to follow her. They did, and soon ended up at their training grounds. A thought rose in Tigerpaw's mind.

"Did any other cats use this area to train?" he asked, looking up at the looming mountain ahead of them. The cats spread out, going to each part of the training field to scan for falling branches or any stray prey.

Shiningeyes responded, "Yes, though not many. I know that Wheatstar, when she was still Wheattail, trained my mother here." Tigerpaw's ears perked. Who even was Shiningeyes's mother? He'd never even met any cat who looked like Shiningeyes! "My mother, Spottedheart, was killed by a fox along with Rowanleap's parents, Foxnose and Amberpelt." She glanced at Rowanleap, whose tail had drooped. The two shared a moment of silence for their lost family, before Rowanleap bounced back to his usually cheerful self.

"Okay! Now, you two, I know that you've been training hard these past three moons. You both will be warriors very soon. You're practically half way there! So," he sat down, his tail sweeping against the ground, "Show me what you've learned! Fight like a warrior!"

A look of command glinted in his eyes, and Mothpaw and Tigerpaw scrambled to get into position. As soon as they were settled, Rowanleap gave the signal to begin. Tigerpaw hissed at the she-cat, leaping forward. Mothpaw believed he was going to land on her back, so she swiveled to the side with such quickness that it made Tigerpaw a little dizzy.

What Tigerpaw laughed in speed, he made up for in quick-thinking. Tigerpaw soared right over his opponent, much to Mothpaw's surprise. He instead bowled over her and kicked her with his hind legs. Mothpaw yowled as she was sent flying, and stopped when she hit the ground. Fear welled up inside Tigerpaw. Had he majorly hurt her? He scrambled towards her, panic in his movement. He reached, and bent down to inspect her when she twisted to face him and kicked him square in the chest.

All the air rushed from his body, and he fell to the ground. As he staggered to his feet, he yowled angrily, "That- That was a dirty move!" He lashed his tail as Mothpaw flew towards him and began her attack.

"Learned it from Stoatpaw!" she wheezed, striking in and out like a wasp. "He kept doing it before I got the message- he _pretends he's dead_!" she leaped at him while he was still distracted. She knocked him off his feet, pummeling his stomach. A loud meow from Rowanleap declared her the winner.

"Sh-She shouldn't have won!" Tigerpaw exclaimed, struggling to his feet. He lashed his tail. "That was a _dirty trick_ she pulled on me, and-"

"And _you_ let her trick you," Shiningeyes finished, a challenging look in her eyes. She stalked up to her apprentice and looked him straight in the eye with disappointment. Tigerpaw hissed, his tail lashing with anger as she continued, "You believed that a simple _push_ was enough to kill a clanmate. Tigerpaw, you're not as strong as you think."

Tigerpaw became aggravated and somewhat relieved at her reply, yet said nothing. The angry monster that hid inside the depths of his stomach gurgled and growled as he felt the need to tear something's throat out. "Fine," he snorted. "Let's just hurry up and spar."

He and Mothpaw continued to spar the rest of the day, until the sun began to set. Then, the four of them practiced their hunting, much to Tigerpaw's relief. He was able to sink his fangs into the necks of some very juicy-looking squirrels. The mentors and apprentices returned back to the cave and rewarded themselves by eating some of their catches.

* * *

Two days had passed since Tigerpaw's fight with Mothpaw, and now it was time for the gathering. The cats going had all gathered; the three apprentices were chatting amiably, and Tigerpaw felt oddly at peace. He noticed Stoatpaw acting rather skittish around Mothpaw, and wondered if something happened between them when he was out training with Shiningeyes and not them.

"So, I hope to see Daisypaw at the gathering. I can't believe it's been three moons since I saw her!" Mothpaw meowed, her tail sweeping over her feet. She looked very happy and pleased to be seeing her sister. "I wonder how she and Icepaw are-"

Right in the middle of her sentence, she was cut off by Wheatstar's regal yowl. "Steamclan, move out!" she called, watching as the clowder of cats going to the gathering began to climb up the cave wall and out of the cave.

The entire way there, Tigerpaw had to suffer through Mothpaw being a chittering bird and Stoatpaw acting as skittish as a mouse. He breathed in, thinking of Silverdust and if she would be there.

He couldn't wait to see her silvery pelt and hear her precious laugh. The way the moon hit off of her fur _just right_ to make it shine so prettily. The way her blue eyes sparkled whenever she saw him. He got lost in his own thoughts, and bumped into Sandfoot when the group stopped. The ginger tom turned and glared at him.

"S-Sorry, Sandfoot." Tigerpaw muttered as an apology. Annoyed, Sandfoot just swished his tail.

Tigerpaw perked his ears and tried to see over Sandfoot. Wheatstar had stopped at the entrance of the peach orchard. Meowing could be heard about thirty-or-so tail-lengths ahead of them, and excitement coursed through Tigerpaw's veins. He hadn't even realized they'd walked that far in such little time!

"My paws are _killing_ me," Mothpaw wheezed, pulling up beside him. He turned to look at her. Her silver orbs held an emotion he couldn't place. Maybe... tiredness? Contentment? Some odd satisfaction? He couldn't place it. "What about you, Tigerpaw?"

Before he could answer, the cats in front of him began walking again. It was time for the gathering! He bounced on his paws as he searched the crowd of cats for Silverdust. Just when he thought he wouldn't see her, he spotted her silver pelt right next to a dark brown tabby. The two looked like they were having fun. A little _too_ much fun. A bit of jealousy filled Tigerpaw, and a possessive growl came from his throat.

Ignoring Stoatpaw and Mothpaw, who had gone to sit with the _apprentices,_ Tigerpaw made a beeline for Silverdust and the surrounding warriors.

He recognized the dark brown tabby as Tiger-something-or-other, and it made him angry that she was around a guy who was essentially him but not as good.

Seating himselves among the warriors, Tigerpaw suddenly shrunk back at all the questioning looks he received, mainly from older-looking she-cats and toms. Silverdust seemed happy to see him, at least.

"Uh, Silverdust, who is _he?_ " Tigerpaw turned to see a ginger she-cat with dainty white paws glaring at him. "He seems to know _you._ Are you seriously friends with this kit?"

"Oh, Tigerpaw's just a friend from my apprentice-hood. He just came to say hi, Palestripe. Why don't you and Tigerstorm go on over to where Applefang and Littledoe are?" Silverdust suggested, perking her ears. The ginger she-cat and the dark brown tabby exchanged looks, shrugged, and went off in another direction. Silverdust turned to Tigerpaw, love filled in her eyes. "Oh Tigerpaw, I was hoping I'd see you here. I am _so_ sorry I haven't been meeting by the border... my warrior duties have been taking up so much time! And I'm sorr about Palestripe... she can be _really_ insensitive sometimes."

Tigerpaw purred. He loved being able to sit here in Silverdusts's company, but... cats were beginning to _stare._ He could see it in their eyes: they were beginning to wonder and think about how close he and the OakClan warrior were. Just as the two were about to start chatting again, Nettlestar gave a loud meow that silenced them all.

"Now, everyone is here. Wheatstar, would you care to begin?" Nettlestar turned his big head towards Wheatstar. The ginger she-cat nodded and stood.

"Today, we have our newest apprentice, Mothpaw, present at the gathering!" the ginger leader announced. The clans all cheered her name, except for a few Hailclan cats. Tigerpaw spotted a tortoiseshell she-cat with a particularly nasty look on her face, a black and white patched apprentice with yellow eyes scowling next to her. Wheatstar raised her tail for silence and continued, "We have welcomed four new kits into the nursery! Their names are Whitekit, Copperkit, Hawkkit, and Emberkit."

The crowds then roared in delight, with Steamclan cheering the loudest. The cats quieted down as Nettlestar stood up. The tom cleared his throat and began, "Now, I would like to welcome a new warrior and a new medicine cat. Silverdust, and her brother, Duskfeather." Silverdust stood forward, pride glinting in her eyes. Love for her swelled inside Tigerpaw, and he thought he might burst. He was having trouble keeping it all in when he spotted her brother, Duskfeather, sitting next to an elderly brown tom with pride.

The clans cheered for them as Nettlestar backed up on his branch. Jaystar came forward, looking graceful and powerful. Like he was a force to be reckoned with. He held himself like he ruled the clans, and Tigerpaw's stomach twisted. Jaystar seemed like such an arrogant mousebrain!

"Now, _I_ would also like to welcome new warriors. We have Turtletail and Sparktongue. If you both would please come forward." Tigerpaw watched his old friends step forward, pride practically coming off of them in waves. Silverdust cheered loudly for them, and Jaystar silenced everyone with a swish of his tail. He continued, "Prey is running well in our territory, and we have two tiny mouths to feed. Featherfur's just had two kits, Birchkit and Brackenkit." the clans gave a weak cheer; Tigerpaw noticed that Hailclan wasn't cheering at _all._

Finally, Beetlestar came forward. He was hunched over on the branch of he beach tree, glaring angrily at all of the gathered cats. His black fur stuck out in fear, and he kept casting wary glances towards Jaystar. His claws gripped the branch he was seated on tightly. "Well," he began, looking rudely at Jaystar out of the corner of his eyes. "We've received new kits as well. Poppypelt has given us three kits to feed, Heronkit, Spottedkit, and Blackkit. Sadly, prey _hasn't_ been running so well in Hailclan. I fear for the lives of our kits this coming leafbare. And I know _exactly_ why."

What he did next shocked the clans; Tigerpaw didn't even _know_ that the leaders could do this.

Beetlestar spun around to face Jaystar, his back arched. His pelt was sticking out in anger, and the cats of the crowd began meowing frightfully. Tigerpaw could feel the tension in the air thicken so much that he could probably slice it with his claw.

All Beetlestar did was howl at Jaystar, "Hailclan declares _war_ on HollowClan!"

* * *

 **Oooh! Look at what Beetlestar's done! This chapter was full of plot, and I hope you all enjoy!**

 ** **The chapter was beta'd by SilverMidnightMoon! Go check them out!****


	18. Chapter 17: Just a Dream

**Here's chapter seventeen! Another special chapter, still told from Tigerpaw's POV!**

 **How did you guys like that ending? Let me know in a review!**

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Tigerpaw couldn't believe it. He was in shock absolute shock at Beetlestar's declaration. His mouth gaped as yowling began to sound all throughout the clearing. Clearly, he wasn't the only one completely shocked by this madness. Jaystar sat regally, his face betraying only a look of anger and hostility. Instead of launching himself at the black tom, however, Jaystar calmly turned his head to glare at Beetlestar.

"And why, might I ask, would you do such a thing?" The blue-gray leader asked with an obvious edge to his voice. Just _hearing_ it made Tigerpaw shudder. "What in _StarClan_ has HollowClan done to you that makes you so angry with us?"

"Oh, don't play with me!" Beetlestar howled, thrusting a paw in Jaystar's direction. Tigerpaw looked at Beetlestar, and could tell that he looked extremely tired, and... thinning? "This _foxheart_ you call a leader is stealing _our_ prey! And you all are doing nothing to stop it! In fact, the HollowClan _warriors_ we found on _our_ side of the territory even told our warriors that it was your doing, Jaystar! We found _prey blood_ on their claws!"

The silver leader turned his head, his eyes wide in shock. To Tigerpaw, it looked like the leader was feigning innocence. "I haven't even heard of this," Jaystar exclaimed, bowing his head. He then turned to glare at all of the HollowClan cats seated in the clearing. "I will be having a _thorough_ talk with my clan about this. And Beetlestar," he turned his blue gaze back at the black furred leader. Tigerpaw gasped at how they shone like ice. "If you still decide to go through with it, HollowClan _accepts_ your declaration of war."

All of a sudden, the crowd shifted. Tigerpaw couldn't even believe what was going on. One moment, everyone was sitting together and chatting amiably while listening to the leader's announcements. The next, cats were hissing at each other angrily, claws threatening to fly through the air. Other cats sat dumbly, not even sure what was going on.

Tigerpaw leaped out of the way as Tigerstorm came barreling by, his fur sticking out in all directions. He went up to a Hailclan she-cat, and proceeded to bowl over her in anger. Tigerpaw's eyes widened completely in shock; was a _battle_ seriously going to break out?

"SteamClan, head back to camp! This gathering is over!" Tigerpaw's ears perked; Wheatstar's voice tried to carry above the angry cats. Tigerpaw turned to Silverdust and licked her cheek, praying to StarClan that no cats saw amidst the turmoil. He then turned, sorrow forming a pit in the stomach as he had to leave his beloved. He swiftly followed his clanmates out of the orchard and back into their territory.

Tigerpaw shrank back between Mothpaw and Stoatpaw, his heart beating quickly. Mothpaw and Stoatpaw both looked pretty shaken up. Tigerpaw began, exasperated, "That was... I don't..."

"Kestrelwind." Wheatstar said and spun around, a fierceness in her eyes. She spotted the golden tom, who was just as frightened as everyone else. "If you feel a need to help your clan, then go. I will not stop you. But you must leave now."

Kestrelwind stepped forward, shaking his head. Tigerpaw noticed the tip of his tail was quivering in fright. "Wheatstar, I-I can't help my previous clanmates. There is no reason for me to go back... just let me stay in SteamClan. Please don't question my loyalty."

Wheatstar looked like she had something else to say. Instead, she shook her head and flicked her tail, signaling for the cats to follow.

Thoughts of all kinds buzzed around in Tigerpaw's mind. He _really_ hoped that Mothpaw would stay. They'd become friends, and he liked their friendship. He didn't want her to be torn between her loyalties. And he didn't want their friendship to die.

He turned to Mothpaw, stopping. Stoatpaw turned back and said, quicker than Tigerpaw, "Please, Mothpaw. Don't go to HailClan. I want you to stay here. I... I enjoy our friendship." his voice was pleading. Tigerpaw watched Mothpaw's eyes widen, and she looked away.

"I-I'll stay." she whispered, turning to Tigerpaw. Her eyes were sparkling. He backed away a little to quickly, and he watched as her face fell. He knew that she probably liked him as more than a friend, but she could never be Silverdust. The two were just so... _different._

" _Ahem_." Tigerpaw looked back at Stoatpaw, who looked annoyed. "Can you two keep going? Watching you two flirt is really getting on my nerves." the white apprentice narrowed his eyes and flicked his tail, speeding up to get to the rest of the group. Tigerpaw and Mothpaw exchanged glances, before the latter hurried ahead to catch up with the group.

 _I am not in love with Mothpaw!_ Tigerpaw screamed in his head, deciding to focus on how fast he was going to keep up with his clanmates. _I think of her as a friend only. A sister, even! I can't love her. Silverdust... I can't imagine loving anyone else. Mothpaw just... she doesn't make me_ feel _the way Silverdust makes me feel. She doesn't have Silverdust's eyes, fur, laugh... it just doesn't feel right to love Mothpaw._

Silverdust was more muscular than Mothpaw, and her fur was sleek and shiny. Her eyes shone like the crystals that were occasionally found in their cave, and her laugh sounded like birdsong. Tigerpaw loved her to the edge of HailClan territory and back up Hawk's Talon Peak.

Mothpaw... Mothpaw was _rowdy_. Her fur was pretty and golden, sure, but she looked weird. Her (now) lithe form did not look good with her muscular forelegs and shoulders, and her eyes were too pale or too bright. She didn't really have a sweet-sounding laugh... but she _was_ genuine when she did laugh. She was sister material, someone to play with when you were down. He did love her... _platonically._

Yes, Silverdust and Mothpaw weren't alike at all.

They reached the camp, where Wheatstar shared the news. She told the clan to be extra wary around the borders, especially the border with HailClan. "Beetlestar is as unpredicatable and dangerous as a fox," she told her clan. All of the cats around her agreed, and she continued, "He is something to be feared and to be watched over."

Once the clan meeting was over,

Tigerpaw bid goodnight to his new siblings before heading back to the apprentice's den. He bid Stoatpaw goodnight, and fell asleep right away, thinking of Silverdust.

* * *

 _The air around him was filled with dust. The shadowy figures of cats surrounded him, all of them locked in battle. In front of him he saw her: her pelt glistening in the dim sunlight, her eyes shining like crystals._

 _Silverdust._

 _"Tigerpaw, I don't want to fight you..." she muttered, stepping forward slowly._

 _"Tigerpaw!" another she-cat yowled. He spun around, only to see Mothpaw's small body get torn up by the same shadowy figures. He watched as blood filled the same spot that she once stood in, and he felt fear overcome his legs. He could not move. His heart beat faster and faster, until he decided to turn around and be faced with Silverdust._

 _The cat he was looking at was not Silverdust. This cat was okd looking, with fur as black as night. Yet... his pelt glistened like the stars. His eyes shone like crystals, even more so than Silverdust's._

 _All he said were the same four, haunting words that Tigerpaw had been hearing since he was a kit._

 _"Don't let him in."_

 _The chanting began, and Tigerpaw let the familiar feeling of drowning overcome him. Except... it was different. He was watching his attacker, yet it was another shadowy form. This..._ being _in front of him wanted him dead. He looked down at his pelt... except it wasn't his. It was Silverdust's._

 _Why was he having dreams about Silverdust drowning? Was it all in his head? Was he just dreaming about things that he was afraid of happening? Like, a mistake during fishing and she got trapped in the water and drowned?_

 _Or maybe... it wasn't Silverdust at all. Maybe it was just one big coincidence that happened for no good reason and decided to happen at the worst of times._

 _He shook his head. It was just a dream._

 _His vision faded._

 _It was just a dream..._

* * *

 **Another one down! Now, this is just an estimate, but I think this story is going to be thirty-or-so chapters! I'd appreciate it if anyone of you decided to stick around an md read it all!**

 **Please read and review! I would absolutely LOVE to hear what you think!**

 **This chapter was beta'd by SilverMidnightMoon! Huge thanks to them!**


	19. Chapter 18: Scents

**Oh my gosh, it's been a while! Anyways, here's chapter eighteen! Enjoy!**

* * *

Mothpaw went to bed much later than Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw. Unlike them, she was deeply worried about this "war" that Beetlestar had declared on HollowClan. Would SteamClan and OakClan become involved?

Mothpaw shivered at the thought. She didn't want to end up fighting Daisypaw, _especially_ if Wheatstar and Nettlestar decided to ban together to break up the fight. She still loved her "sister," and hated herself for not being more like her father- more accepting of her new life.

She stayed up that night, unable to sleep with worry. She instead focused her gaze on Tigerpaw. His chest moved up and down rythmically, and his tail twitched. She wondered if he was having a good dream.

Finally, Mothpaw settled into an uneasy sleep, still worried that her former denmates were going to die.

* * *

 _Mist rolled in front of her. It came in waves, obscuring her view of... something. Mothpaw didn't know what._

 _The mist was very thick, thicker than it had ever been in Hailclan territory. And she'd seen some wicked mist that would settle in the valley that the camp was in._

 _But this mist... it was unnatural._

 _Mothpaw looked0 around. She couldn't see at all, and the mist scared her. She gulped, deciding to take a step forward. The mist rolled away from her touch, as if it was afraid. Suddenly confident, she took more steps forward._

 _Her golden tabby pelt gleamed from some unseen light; it helped illuminate her path. She thanked it quickly, when suddenly, a singular looming figure appeared on the horizon._

 _Fear ate away at the bottom of her gut. Her legs began to tremble, and she was suddenly scared for her life. Unable to move, the mist kept rolling in front of her, and each time a cloud of it would roll by, she'd see the figure. It was inching closer and closer, with white, glowing eyes._

 _After what seemed like an eternity, the figure reached her. It was a cat, that was for sure, but it's fur was too long. Too long to be a SteamClan cat's fur._

 _The mist rolled by, and she saw a glimmer of yellow in the figure's eyes. Her breath hitched as she realized who she was looking at._

 _"D-Daisypaw?" she squeaked out, and the cat struck. She wailed as her attacker's claws dug into her pelt. Her screams echoed through the mist, but no one came to her call. "Daisypaw, stop!" she sobbed, and the cat let go. She turned on her side, holding her shoulder. Her attacker had been ruthless._

 _Her conciousness slipped into darkness as a thousand claws raked her sides. She remembered trying to scream, but she couldn't. She was being torn apart. Two scents filled her nostrils: one of HailClan, and the other of SteamClan._

 _"No! No!" she wailed, struggling to keep it together. "Stop! It hurts!" the claws kept going, not even relenting in their brutal attack. The pain and misery that filled her stomach was something so indescribable... she couldn't take it anymore._

 _The clawing subsided, and the gentle scent of daisies lured her into unconsciousness._

* * *

Mothpaw jolted up in bed, gasping for air. She stumbled out of the apprentice's den, shaking her fur of the sweat that had accumulated in it. Her silver eyes turned towards the moon, which sat in the sky, mocking her.

She growled, and clawed at her ears. Her mind was racing. What was that dream about? The claws tearing at her side, the way she felt like she was being torn apart... she should just stay in SteamClan, end of story! No more HailClan...

... but she couldn't let Daisypaw fight in this war. Or worse... _die_.

She and Daisypaw had grown up as sisters. They had loved each other and played together, along with the other kits in the nursery. She remembered one of the other kits's names: Sparrowkit, a brown tabby she-kit with long whiskers. She'd always mocked Mothpaw for her wide shoulders.

 _"You're too big to get through the nursery!"_

 _"You take up all the space in the nest! Poor Daisykit!"_

 _"You'll be the clumsiest apprentice ever! Ew!"_

 _"Watch where you and your big shoulders are going!"_

Mothpaw couldn't deal with it all. She should just go back to HailClan...

...But no. Mothpaw looked back at the moon. She remembered Sparrowkit, now probably Sparrowpaw, and scowled. She was not ugly, and she was _definitely_ not clumsy! She would _not_ let her ties to Hailclan keep her from serving Steamclan! She did feel tied to Daisypaw, sure, but it definitely wasn't like how she was tied to Rowanleap, or Stoatpaw, or... Tigerpaw.

For the first time since the gathering, she let her mind slip away into a place where only she could go. Her body felt warm with a strong feeling that made her feel happy. She liked Tigerpaw a lot, and was unsure if he felt the same way. She wanted him to.

She thought of his brother, Stoatpaw. The white tom was a good friend to her. He was still kind of pudgy, sure, but he had improved a lot since he'd begun training. The brothers had become her friends, and now that she was getting _somewhat_ used to SteamClan and the life it presented, she was a little reluctant to leave them. She figured they'd be very upset if she decided to leave for a cat that she hadn't seen since she was a kit!

As she thought about SteamClan and the life she'd made in it, all thoughts of Beetlestar's war had left her mind as she hobbled back into the apprentice's den and curled up in her nest next to Tigerpaw. Her body unusually warm, she went to sleep, purring happily.

* * *

"Mothpaw! Mothpaw _wake up_!"

Mothpaw opened her eyes steadily, her vision swimming. The form of Stoatpaw danced in her eyes, and she shakily stood. The white tom backed up as she stretched out her lithe body. She looked beside her, expecting to see Tigerpaw. But the white tom was nowhere to be found.

"Rowanleap wants us to try hunting together. He said that you're my hunting partner, and that I should go wake you up before we left." Stoatpaw explained, turning and leaving the den. Mothpaw finished stretching and followed him and blinked at the sunlight from the cave entrance.

Guess it's going to be a warm day, she thought, her tail fur beginning to fluff out at the cold temperatures in the cave. For once, she was a little envious of Stoatpaw; his long, thick coat seemed like such a good thing to have at the moment.

Leafclaw glanced at her, before standing up and going over to his apprentice. Mothpaw then glanced at Rowanleap, whose fur was fluffed out just like hers. She somehow found humor in the fact that a warrior was struggling to keep warm against the cold.

The red tom seemingly smiled, saying, "Wow, looks like I'm not the only chilly one here!" he turned his head to the nursery to see Mistyspots's kits, Dawnkit, Stonekit, and Sweetkit, playing beneath the Hot Spring's Paw. Mothpaw blinked at the expression that crossed Rowanleap's face. Would she ever have to deal with rowdy little furballs like that?

"Okay, Rowanleap, Mothpaw. Let's head on out and get this training session started." Leafclaw meowed, standing. He started to head over to the cave wall, with Rowanleap following suit. Stoatpaw flashed Mothpaw a weak smile, then dashed after his mentor. Mothpaw flicked her ears.

"We'd better follow him," Stoatpaw muttered, bounding after Leafclaw and struggling the cave wall. Mothpaw did the same, rolling her eyes as she passed Stoatpaw, making her way to the top. She began to laugh at him playfully when he reached the top. The white tom was laying on the ground, seemingly very tired.

"I-I'll never get used to that climb," he wheezed, struggling to get to his feet. Mothpaw could tell that he really needed to stop eating so much. She looked at her mentor, who flicked his tail, giving the signal to follow.

The group of cats began to trudge through the forest, and the first thing Mothpaw noticed was the crunching. She looked down at her paws, which were covered in the dust of dead, crunched leaves. She realized that stalking through the mess of dead leaves was going to be tough, and she just noticed how the trees suddenly seemed very bare. Leaf fall was steadily creeping up on them, and the first thing to go were the leaves.

As they reached their little training field, Leafclaw began to give them a briefing of their task. "You two apprentices will go into the forest together and try to capture prey. You must work together. Neither does the most work."

Mothpaw and Stoatpaw nodded, exchanging glances. Leafclaw sent them off, and soon, Mothpaw was treading as lightly as she could through the forest with Stoatpaw on her flank. He was sniffing the air, his mouth open, while Mothpaw struggled to keep the leaf crunching to a minimum.

"Scent anything yet?" Mothpaw asked.

"No, not yet."

"Okay." Mothpaw took a deep whiff of the surrounding forest, and luckily, caught a scent trail. "Stoatpaw! I've found a scent trail!" she sniffed the air longer, examining the scent. It was... unlike anything she'd ever smelled before.

It smelled like prey, yeah, but there was an underlying stench that made her want to gag. She wrinkled her nose, exclaiming, "Ew, do you smell that? It reeks like rotten fish!"

"I know. I've never smelled anything like it!" Stoatpaw said, a little worry to his tone. He took a step in the direction the scent went in, and beckoned Mothpaw with his tail. The golden tabby steadily followed after him.

The two apprentices made their way towards wherever the smell was coming from. The scent of... dead prey became stronger, and she was beginning to wonder if it was just some scent of a rotting squirrel or something.

But... why would a squirrel be rotting alone in the forest? she asked herself. Suddenly, the scenery changed. There was dead prey scattered here and there among the dead leaves, some of it rotting; she knew that all of the dead prey must've caused the scent of prey.

But what about the underlying stench?

"Uh... Stoatpaw?" Mothpaw turned just in time to see Stoatpaw stop, horrified, in front of a large hole in the ground. "Stoatpaw?"

Mothpaw trotted up to him, fear pooling in her stomach as she gazed into the dark hole. The underlying stench was so strong that she almost gave in to the vomit that was threatening to spill out of her mouth.

Before she could do anything, a low, angry growl resonated throughout the... clearing? Mothpaw would call it a place where the woods seemingly thinned. Nevertheless, this growl made her quiver in fear.

"M-Mothpaw... run..." Stoatpaw breathed, backing away. Mothpaw watched in horror as a long, ugly snout thrust itself out of the hole. It was followed by a triangular face, beady yellow eyes, a lithe body, strong legs, long claws, and a thick, bushy tail. Its feet and ears were black, and its tail was tipped white. The rest of it was a deep, angry scarlet.

Mothpaw had only ever heard of these creatures in stories. Sugarberry had always scarred her and Daisypaw into behaving by telling tales of a fierce, red creature that would come at night and eat kits.

Stoatpaw screeched behind her. The creature whipped its angular head to face him.

Before anything could happen, Mothpaw screamed out, " _Fox_! There's a _fox_ on our territory!"

* * *

 **Here's chapter eighteen everyone! Also, we're at eight reviews! Two more away from ten! Yay!**

 **This chapter was beta'd by the lovely SilverMidnightMoon! Go check them out!**


	20. Chapter 19: The Best

**Here's chapter nineteen! Enjoy!**

* * *

Stoatpaw couldn't move. His fear outweighed all else; seeing the big, ugly beast in front of him made him want o break down and crumple into a tiny ball of white fur.

At least, he'd be with Coppersnake when he died...

" _Stoatpaw_!" Mothpaw screamed, leaping away as the fox slammed its snout into the ground to try and snap her up in its jaws. She squealed, her tail fluffing out in fright as she sped through the dead leaves. Stoatpaw watched in horror as the fox lifted its head, snarling. Its beady yellow eyes zeroed in on Mothpaw as she screamed, "Stoatpaw, run!"

"No!" Stoatpaw whipped around. Who was it that had spoken? His tail fluffed out in fright; there was a fox right in front of him, and an unknown someone speaking in his ear. "Stoatpaw, you will stay behind and fight this mangy mutt with Mothpaw at your side!"

"O-Okay!" Stoatpaw sobbed. Mothpaw gave him a scared, but quizzical, look. Stoatpaw turned to face her, scared determination crossing his face. "Mothpaw! We have to fight the fox. When you think about it, i-it's not too hard!" he glanced at the fox, whose yellow eyes were watching them. He gulped. "I-It's not much bigger than us, really-"

"What? Stoatpaw, are you crazy?" Mothpaw yowled, her fur fluffing out as the fox whipped its head up and snarled. It bared its teeth at them before leaping, its claws outstretched towards them. The two apprentices yowled, leaping apart and dashing between the trees. "See? We'll be as good as dead if we stay here!"

"We can't just let a _fox_ roam around our territory!" Stoatpaw shouted defensively, swirling around the base of a tree. He sped up it faster than he'd ever made it up the cave wall, making it to a high branch. He shouted, "Mothpaw! Get up here!"

Mothpaw dashed up the tree, yowling as the fox snapped its jaws around her tail and tore into her flesh. She sat shakily next to Stoatpaw, staring at the deep wound. Blood was oozing onto the branch and dropping onto the ground. Below, the fox was snapping its jaws angrily, barking fiercely up at them.

"I-I'm okay," Mothpaw wheezed, then growled at Stoatpaw, "But see what happens when you try to take on an enemy that's too tough for you? You end up getting beaten!"

"I already know what it's like!" Stoatpaw howled, his white fur sticking on end. Her turned to face her, anger spreading across his face. "I've had to fight you two _mousebrains_ for the past three moons, losing every battle and being taunted about it afterwards! Well, maybe not you, but Tigerpaw certainly does take his 'teasing' too far!"

An awkward moment of silence stretched between the two apprentices. Mothpaw's silver eyes widened and filled with hurt; Stoatpaw just looked away, avoiding her gaze and trying to steady his angry breathing.

Stoatpaw stood, glaring down at the fox beneath them. It... it wasn't much bigger than Mossfang, to be honest. "I'm going to jump on that things back and fight 'till I die. For my clan." his stomach twisted as he said those words; he was already beginning to doubt his own words.

"No, Stoatpaw, _don't_!" Mothpaw howled once more, gripping the long fur around his paws with her claws. "I am not letting my friend _die_ because he wanted to end his life a martyr!" she stood up, her silver eyes full of pain and determination. "I am not letting you do it alone. Sure, it's a stupid, crazy idea, and I'm pretty sure we'll both die, but together, we can at least try to stop it."

Stoatpaw's body filled with a feeling that was reserved only for cats like his mother. In that moment, he felt complete respect and love for Mothpaw. He nodded, and said, "Okay. That fox is directly beneath this branch, snapping up at us. If we can managed to land on its back or tail we may be able to... stun it? I don't know, but it's worth a shot."

"Back or tail. Got it." Mothpaw swished her bleeding tail in the air, spitting and hissing down at the fox. The creature let out a shrill bark, but moved across the ground to follow her.

Stoatpaw breathed in deeply, mentally preparing himself for the jump. Okay, Stoatpaw. It's just a jump. Onto a fox's back. What-What could go wrong?

A lot of things, his conscience reasoned. Like death, you missing your point, breaking your leg, similar consequences-

Getting tired of his annoying conscience, he shut it out, and only focused on the back of the yapping fox. Mothpaw was trying her best as her tail bled; he hoped she'd be okay.

He launched himself off of the branch, praying her made his target. He felt the stiff fur of the fox beneath his pads as he landed, almost slipping off just as he dug his claws into its flesh. The fox howled in pain, thrashing around and trying to buck Stoatpaw off.

Mothpaw followed suit, landing on its tail. "S-Stoatpaw, what-what next?" she shouted over the fox's yowling. Stoatpaw looked at the raging creature he was holding onto. It had stopped and was beginning to lean down.

"Mothpaw, hold on!" Stoatpaw howled just as the fox put its entire weight onto Stoatpaw. The white apprentice was struggling to hold on; Mothpaw, however, had completely let go and was now trying to get at the fox's exposed belly.

The fox leapt up, batting at Mothpaw with a long paw and sending her flying. It turned to face Stoatpaw, its jaws snapping. Just as Stoatpaw was sure death was coming, a howl sounded through the forest and he watched as a mass of warriors poured in to surround the fox.

He recognized them as his own. There was Deerheart, Mossfang, Leafclaw, Rowanleap, Shiningeyes, and... Tigerpaw. Was Tigerpaw allowed to fight alongside the warriors now?

"Tigerpaw, go over to its left flank!" Mossfang howled. Stoatpaw watched as his brother went around and hissed at the fox, scratching at its side. The fox whimpered and bared its teeth; the cats all flinched but did not retreat.

Stoatpaw and Mothpaw huddled together, watching as the warriors and one apprentice fought off the fox. It eventually dashed away with its torn up tail between its legs. The warriors were all breathing heavily, but Stoatpaw was breathing the most.

Why did Tigerpaw get to fight with the warriors? Was he just that much better than him and Mothpaw? He felt rage and jealousy bubbling beneath his pelt. The feelings were replaced but shame as Mossfang, Rowanleap, Leafclaw, Shiningeyes, and Tigerpaw. Stoatpaw noticed the way Tigerpaw glared at him: like he was weak prey.

"You both should be ashamed of yourselves!" Mossfang howled at them. "You were sent on a hunting mission, and you both end up almost killing yourselves! Never, ever go near a creature like that again!"

"Yes, Mossfang." both apprentices said in unison, then watched as Mossfang turned to Tigerpaw and Shiningeyes. "Tigerpaw, you did well. Thank you for helping us."

For once, Stoatpaw wasn't the only one enraged by someone making goo-goo eyes at Tigerpaw.

"We just fought a fox!" Mothpaw roared, standing up and slashing her bleeding tail. "We caught it's scent and followed it here! It was eating all of our prey, and if we hadn't caught its scent that was masked through all of this dead prey, you never would've found it!"

Mossfang whipped around to face her, murder gleaming in his eyes. "Mothpaw, you will not speak about this. You fought a fox without knowing what it would bring on, and you both were at the verge of death when we got here. We saved your lives."

"No, we saved yours!" Mothpaw shot back. Stoatpaw really wished she would stop talking, but at the same time, he didn't. "This fox was out here for Starclan knows how long, and none of you warriors even noticed it! Thanks to two apprentices sniffing out its scent, we found its den and-"

"Mothpaw, stop talking or you won't be made a warrior with Tigerpaw and Stoatpaw." it was Rowanleap who spoke, much to Stoatpaw and Mothpaw's shock. "You're both missing the point. Two apprentices would have never lived, even while fighting a fox. But, our deputy should give them a little more credit."

Mossfang grumbled, standing up and flicking his tail to the rest of the cats. Mothpaw and Stoatpaw stood up, shaking, only to be shooed away by Tigerpaw.

"You two apprentices shouldn't have even tried," Tigerpaw growled. "Well, Mothpaw might've survived, but Stoatpaw, your little, pudgy body would've rendered you defenseless."

"Stop it, Tigerpaw," Mothpaw warned. "Don't make fun of your brother."

"A future leader has to get it in his warrior's minds that not every cat is as strong or well liked as he is." with a flick of his tail, he beckoned the two apprentices to follow him, and Mothpaw and Stoatpaw followed in a fuming heap.

Neither apprentice noticed the sleek brown tabby watching them from the trees with her bright amber eyes.

* * *

The rest of the day, Stoatpaw and Mothpaw stayed in Darkseed's den, getting their wounds fixed.

"You are very lucky, Mothpaw," the black tom grumbled, placing various herbs onto her wounded tail. "Any longer out there and you would've ended up in an infection."

When they left, neither wanted to be around any warriors. They were pretty upset at the sour attitude that they gave them, even when _they_ found the fox! The sun was beginning to set, so Stoatpaw and Mothpaw had an early dinner before retiring to the apprentice's den.

Stoatpaw fell asleep to the sound of Mothpaw's ranting voice.

* * *

 _"Stoatpaw."_

 _Stoatpaw lifted his head to gaze into Coppersnake's fiery amber eyes. "C-Coppersnake? What is it?"_

 _"I told you not to fight that fox." she hissed at him, her tail lashing. "You even heard me! But you still fought it instead. That kind of stubbornness is not something I want to see in my apprentices."_

 _Stoatpaw stood up with a flash. "Th-That was you? I thought I was going crazy!" he looked away and grumbled, "Well, maybe I am. I thought I could take on a fox and that I was well liked by my clanmates. But no, Tigerpaw's the one who gets to be coddled by everyone else!" he lashed his tail, suddenly angry with her. "Why did you just stand by? You tried to get me to stop, but gave up after one attempt!"_

 _"Stoatpaw, don't you realize that you threw yourself into that fight unprepared? No wonder the warriors had to come out and save you and your little denmates' sorry tails!"_

 _Stoatpaw growned, looking away. "And don't forget Tigerpaw. That annoying cat, always thinking he's better than everyone else... and thinking he'd be a good leader." Stoatpaw's passion died down, and he refused to meet the copper she-cat's amber eyes._

 _Coppersnake sighed and hissed, "Your brother sounds like an arrogant foxheart." Stoatpaw's ears flicked up, and he stared at her in shock. Just as he was about to defend his brother, Coppersnake continued, "But remember, everyone has their weakness. Yours is your body. Whenever someone talks about you in even a slightly condescending way, you crumble up and don't do anything. You don't even try to slim down, or try to work harder to become stronger! Just like you, Tigerpaw has his own weakness, but his weakness is his decision-making."_

 _"What? That's not possible!" Stoatpaw howled. Coppersnake silenced him with her tail._

 _"Tigerpaw's made the decision to fall in love with an OakClan warrior while also making the decision that he'll be the greatest leader." she slipped around him, her silky tail going around his shoulders. His eyes widened at her words, and he grew angry while he thought of Silverdust. This little fling was steadily growing worse and worse. "Now, who do you think would make a better leader? The coddled, arrogant mousebrain who thinks he'll get the position just because he's liked, or the honest, hard-working cat who tries his best to prove himself to his clanmates?"_

 _Stoatpaw gulped, before meowing angrily, "The latter."_

 _"Yes!" Coppersnake meowed gleefully, her tail swishing around. "I want you to shoot for becoming leader instead of your brother. Make yourself well-liked, and practice your battle skills not only with Leafclaw, but in your free time and with me as well."_

 _"But what about his love interest, Silverdust?" Stoatpaw meowed, shuffling his paws. "That can't be right. It's breaking the code!"_

 _"Exactly. In a few moons, once you've become a warrior and have really proven yourself useful to the clan, I'll help you try and... deal with their awkward little situation." Coppersnake's words eased Stoatpaw; how could two cats be so understanding of each other? "In the mean time, use it as... blackmail. Whenever Tigerpaw threatens to do something to you if you don't do something or don't act some way, threaten him and tell him you'll tell Wheatstar about his little romps in the forest."_

 _Stoatpaw blinked. Tigerpaw... was out in the forest... seeing Silverdust? He thought they just met at gatherings, and that Tigerpaw dreamed about her a lot, and they maybe saw each other once in a blue moon on a border patrol. For the first time since he met her, Stoatpaw had to question Coppersnake. "Coppersnake... do you... do you watch my brother?"_

 _The she-cat snorted. "Yes. I like to watch over the clans to make sure no one... no one breaks the rules. And I've seen your brother break it multiple times." she twirled her paw over the sparkling ground, and a hole appeared. Stoatpaw looked into it, and was horrified to see his brother sharing tongues in a way that was more than platonic with Silverdust. It was... wrong. Creepy. His gut twisted._

 _"Coppersnake. Help me become leader." he said impatiently, getting into a battle stance. Coppersnake purred and tackled him, but he held his own and thrust her off. "You gotta try harder than that!" he howled._

 _"Yes! Yes, Stoatpaw!" Coppersnake yowled, tackling him and being thrown away again. "Use your anger- use it to fuel your fighting spirit! I want to see you become not just the best warrior, but the greatest leader in Steamclan history!"_

* * *

 **Next chapter marks a super big milestone: it's the twentieth chapter! Thinking about the outline of the story, I think it'll be somewhere around forty chapters. I don't want there to be so many timeskips in the story, and I want to make it as amazing as it can be!**

 **This chapter was beta'd by the wonderfully amazing SilverMidnightMoon! Please go check them out!**


	21. Chapter 20: Assessment

**Aaand here's the big milestone! Tweeenty chapters! I know this story isn't super popular, but I would appreciate it if everyone left a review on this chapter about what you think of the story so far! I would love to hear everyone's opinion!**

 **Here's a question** **: How do you think this story will turn out? How do you hope it turns out? Please respond in a review, I'd love to hear a response!**

* * *

Ever since he managed to help fight off the fox alongside the warriors, Tigerpaw had become somewhat of a celebrity among his clan. Well... among the kits, at least. He liked to exaggerate his tale to them, loving the way they watched him with wide, unblinking eyes. He reasoned that Stoatpaw and Mothpaw were just mildly upset with him for him trying to assert his authoritative power. He was trying to practice so he'd be ready when he became the leader.

He kept seeing Silverdust. Every time he saw or even thought of the silver she-cat, his fur would stand on end and he'd become very, very proud. He loved having Silverdust, and he loved her. He didn't think that anything could go wrong between them. _I just hope no one knows._ he kept thinking.

The night after he fought off the fox, he went to see her. Silverdust. The beautiful she-cat that he got to call his own. He made his way through the woods, thinking of her sweet scent and her laugh and the way she made him feel. This was no kit crush; he was madly in love with the OakClan warrior.

He carefully made his way to their secret meeting spot, comfort washing over him as the sound of the rushing river replaced that of the sound of crunching leaves. The night was cold, but he was not. Warmth spread through his body at the thought of meeting Silverdust. He picked up the pace, unable to bear the thought of being apart from her for so long. He burst through the ferns, and caught himself just as he was about to go tumbling into the rapids. Perking his ears, he looked around for her. _I hope she's here tonight,_ he thought, worry forming a knot in his stomach. _What if a cat has found her on her way out? What if she's fallen in love with another cat?_ he couldn't bear the thought, and softly called her name.

"Silverdust?"

Silence, then...

"Tigerpaw? Is that you?"

Relief flooded through the white and brown patched tom. He stood, sniffing the air and taking in Silverdust's sweet scent, reveling in how it crossed the river so easily. The scent of OakClan was so sweet to him, because it reminded him of Silverdust. "Yes, I am here, Silverdust." he watched as the ferns on the other side of the river split to reveal her, her pelt shining in the light of the moon. He itched to be closer to her. She swam across the river, purring as soon as she reached the other side.

"Oh, Tigerpaw! I'm _so_ sorry I couldn't be here sooner... Beewhisker kept asking questions. He's become _so_ clingy lately, and I don't have the heart to tell him that... that someone else has my heart." she purred, pressing her muzzle against Tigerpaw's. "Beewhisker's a new warrior. He likes me a lot, but... _you're_ the only one for me, Tigerpaw."

"And _you're_ the only one for me, Silverdust." he purred her name, then stood, puffing out his chest. He liked the way her eyes lit up as she watched him. "I'm going to be a warrior soon. I can't wait! Can you, Silverdust?" he exclaimed, leaning down to lick her cheek. She purred, her tail flicking back and forth. Tigerpaw calmed down a bit, then continued, "Today, I actually fought a fox."

Silverdust gasped. "On your own?"

Tigerpaw shook his head. "No, I was with a bunch of other warriors. But Stoatpaw and Mothpaw were so _weak_ that they couldn't even chase it out from its den! It just followed their scent out into the open!" he let out a laugh, pleasure flooding his body as she joined in. The two cats sat in each other's company, laughing loudly. Tigerpaw's heart swelled at the sound of her laughter. "Oh Silverdust, you have the prettiest laugh. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"You have." she purred in response.

"Silverdust, I want you to come to SteamClan when I become leader." Silverdust sat up, her blue eyes wide and sparkling. Tigerpaw gulped, struggling to continue. Her eyes were absolutely gorgeous. "I-I've decided that my calling is to become leader. And when I do, I want you there by my side, Silverdust." he looked up at her beautiful eyes, which were full of emotion. "Will you?"

"Will I? Oh Tigerpaw, of course!" she purred, and Tigerpaw had never felt happier in his life.

The two sat down, sharing tongues and enjoying the company of each other.

* * *

Tigerpaw woke up extremely tired the next morning. His little romp with Silverdust that night had proven to be extremely tiresome. He loved going out to visit the silver she-cat, but it was beginning to get in the way of his apprentice duties. He was so tired after one night that he couldn't even catch a simple mouse! He decided that he wouldn't go visit her that night; instead, he'd stay in his warm den, in the comforting presence of his denmates.

Blinking his eyes, he saw that Stoatpaw and Mothpaw were nowhere to be found. Staggering outside, he saw that Shiningeyes was waiting for him, annoyance gracing her features. "You're finally up. Now, I've got something special planned today." she beckoned him with her tail, and he followed. He was so tired, but he managed to walk it off when he spotted the nice, fat mouse that sat at the top of the fresh kill pile. Shiningeyes must've seen him looking at it, because she said, "Okay, go have breakfast. Then meet me in front of the cave wall when you're done."

He nodded, and eagerly made his way to the top of the pile. He grabbed the fat mouse and ate it quickly, feeling much less tired and a lot more pumped up to train. I'm going to become the greatest leader ever! Even greater than Falconstar! he thought, his tail swishing back and forth. Then I can get to work. Who'll be my deputy? Probably Mothpaw. And then everyone else... oh, the possibilities!

He met back up with Shiningeyes, who was chatting with Fuzzytail.

"... and Sageberry's kits will be coming so soon! Maybe even in the next couple of sunrises! I fear for the apprentice's den; it's going to be full of 'paws!" Fuzzytail was saying, before spotting Tigerpaw. "Oh, hey, Tigerpaw! Has Shiningeyes told you the plan for today?" she asked, her yellow eyes sparkling. Tigerpaw shook his head, and Fuzzytail's face lit up.

"You're going to be battling Fuzzytail today as an assessment. Then, you'll be going to hunt. Catch as much as you can." Shiningeyes explained. Tigerpaw's heartbeat quickened; he was only over three moons an apprentice, and they were already assessing him? "You learn quickly, but you're still not ready to be a warrior." his spirits dropped at her words, but were soon picked back up as the group of cats made their way up the cave wall and to a different training field.

"Why aren't we going to our usual training spot?" Tigerpaw asked.

"That's where Mothpaw and Stoatpaw are training. I don't want to disturb their learning by assessing your skills." Shiningeyes explained once more. Tigerpaw puffed out his chest slightly in pride as Shiningeyes's words. The cats entered a smaller field that was covered in ferns. Tigerpaw could see the dirt peaking through in places where the ferns were thin. Shiningeyes meowed, "We're here. I want you and Fuzzytail to get into battle position, then we'll start."

 _I can't believe it! I'm going to be fighting a warrior!_ Tigerpaw thought, his heartbeat quickening. He watched as Fuzzyail leaned down, her muscles rippling beneath her soft gray pelt.

"Begin," Shiningeyes meowed, flicking her tail.

He launched himself at Fuzzytail, and almost froze when he saw that she didn't move. But once he hit her, it was like he'd rammed into a rock. He fell back, stunned, as Fuzzytail grabbed his hind legs and flipped him onto his bag. The she-cat pummeled his belly with her soft paws.

Think! he howled in his head, then remembered Mothpaw's tactic. He went as limp as he possibly could, and Fuzzytail flew off of him.

"Tigerpaw! Oh, Starclan, wake up!" the gray warrior whined, her eyes full of worry. Tigerpaw then bounced back up, scratching at her muzzle and leaping back. While she stood there in shock, he dashed at her again, leaping onto her back. Fuzzytail howled, then rolled over. Tigerpaw held on for dear life at that point.

Fuzzytail stood back up and was about to turn around to face him when he kicked her with his back legs. She jumped in the air, howling. Tigerpaw flew at her once more, bashing her head in with a paw. Fuzzytail swiped beneath his feet, and he fell. He couldn't stand up; he was so exhausted from last night and his fight.

"Fuzzytail wins!" Shiningeyes meowed. Fuzzytail backed away as Tigerpaw rose, and he turned to glare at the gray she-cat. Shiningeyes noticed his angry look and said, "Tigerpaw, you're not going to win every fight. Fuzzytail is a warrior, it's completely okay."

"Fine." Tigerpaw grumbled, his fur fluffing out in anger. I need to take my mind off of this! he thought, and remembered the second part to his assessment. "Don't I have to go out and catch prey?"

Shiningeyes tilted her head to the sky and shrugged. "I guess you can start now. Go into the forest and catch prey, and come back when it's sunhigh."

Tigerpaw nodded, and turned into the forest. He liked being alone. I think I'll go over and see how Mothpaw and Stoatpaw are doing. he thought to himself. I wonder how many times Stoatpaw's been beaten?

He leaped over a log and sniffed the air. He smelled mouse. _Oh well. Might as well catch something before going to check out the others._ he reasoned, and dropped onto his paws. Sniffing the air once more, he smelled the mouse. Taking only a couple pawsteps forward, he saw it nibbling on an acorn. _Remember, Tigerpaw. Be quiet. Wait for the best opportunity..._ he watched the mouse drop the acorn and dash after it. It got closer and closer, still not seeing him.

It was then that Tigerpaw struck out his paw swiftly, catching the mouse just as it saw him and darted. He killed it in one swift bite, and decided to bury it before coming back for it.

As he made his way to the training grounds where he usually practiced, he noticed less and less prey showing up. Specifically the bird prey. He _maybe_ spotted a goose flying high in the sky here or there, but that was about it.

He caught two mice and a vole, and accidentally let a squirrel escape up a tree. _Finally._ he said in his mind. _I'm here._

Peering through the trees, he saw Rowanleap and Leafclaw chatting as Mothpaw and Stoatpaw scuffled before them. Stoatpaw was clearly dominating, much to Tigerpaw's surprise. _The pudgy little white fluffball is winning?_ he thought, his gaze shifting to Leafclaw as he meowed at the two to get into position. Tigerpaw left, hoping that Stoatpaw would lose. As he heard the sounds of scuffling behind him, he suddenly became very doubtful that he would. _Stoatpaw's getting stronger... finally._

He thought about heading over to the river, but then stopped. If someone was watching his every move, assessing him, he couldn't let that same cat see him and Silverdust. He veered away to catch more prey.

When sunhigh rolled around, he had caught four more mice and a lone quail. Much to his surprise, Kestrelwind stepped out of the trees to alert him he was finished.

"I can go and pick up some of your prey," the gold tabby told him, looking him up and down nervously. It hit Tigerpaw that Wheatstar and Mossfang were finally beginning to trust his faith in SteamClan. "You take your recent catches back to the camp and rest. I'm sure you're tired."

Tigerpaw gladly took his advice, and went back to the camp with his catches. Upon entering the cave, however, he noticed Darkseed acting frantically in the nursery while a fluffed up Cloudkit nervously ran herbs between the medicine den and the nursery.

Tigerpaw noticed Fuzzytail and Oatbelly sitting nearby, staring at the nursery as they exchanged words in hushed voices. He padded up to them and asked, "What's going on? Is someone hurt in the nursery?"

The two warriors turned to face him "No, Sageberry's kitting a little early." Oatbelly explained. "She wasn't supposed to kit until maybe tomorrow, or even days after then." Tigerpaw blinked. More kits were going to be in the nursery? There were already seven!

The kitting lasted a while, and soon, Darkseed emerged, bearing the news to the clan. "Sageberry has given birth to two healthy she-kits, Brightkit and Honeykit."

The clan cheered for this, and soon, they all dispersed. Tigerpaw spotted Cloudkit, who looked exhilerated and excited to be helping out as a pseudo-medicine cat apprentice. It made Tigerpaw happy.

He relaxed the rest of the day, only waking to eat dinner with Stoatpaw and Mothpaw.

"And I ended up catching this absolutely huge sparrow! In leaf fall! Isn't it amazing?" Mothpaw was telling him a story about how she'd caught a fat sparrow earlier that day. The female apprentice scooted closer to Tigerpaw, eagerly biting into her mouse.

At least Mothpaw seems to have forgiven me, Tigerpaw thought. But Stoatpaw... he holds a grudge for a little while. I hope he grows out of this one.

He turned his head to the entrance of the camp; the sun was setting, and a soft, pink glow had been cast over the forest. He longed to run to the OakClan border and sit next to Silverdust, breathing in her sweet scent. But he couldn't.

A pang hit his heart as he finished his dinner and entered the apprentice den, ready for a good night's rest.

* * *

 _The scenery... it was familiar. Tigerpaw sniffed the air, scrunching his nose up as he smelled the air._

 _Light filled his vision, and he looked forward to see the same cat that had haunted his dreams since he was a kit. His fur stood on end as he gazed into the dark tom's white eyes._

 _"Do not let him in, Tigerpaw. Be wary. Watch out for enemies." the tom said cryptically. It drove Tigerpaw insane, what did the tom mean when he said that? Don't let_ who _in? A stranger? A strange enemy? He wracked his mind for any explanation as the dark cat watched him, his white eyes showing no emotion._

 _Was it a disease? Who was_ him _? A foreign cat that would destroy the clans?_

 _The dark tom turned away, and Tigerpaw found himself clawing at the empty space that lay before him. "No, wait!" he howled, his claws outstretched as he struggling to get an answer. "Please! What do you mean? Who should I not let in?"_

 _Then he felt it. A tingling in his chest, then on his fur. He gazed down at the familiar tabby pelt, the tingling in his chest turning into burning. He screamed out, but his lungs filled with water._

 _He gazed into the inky darkness, his eyes closing as he struggled and gave up to make light of the situation._

* * *

 **Aaaand that's chapter twenty! Hope you all enjoyed! If you have a response to my question, please feel free to respond in a review! As always, I'd love to hear what you think of the story!**

 **This chapter was beta'd by the amazingly talented SilverMidnightMoon! Kudos to you!**


	22. Chapter 21: All in Due Time

**Chapter 21, oh boy! This one's a special chapter, please enjoy! As alwways, I would love to hear your thoughts on the story in a review!**

 **Also: Whaaat? Four chapters in one sitting? Man, I am on a roll!**

 **Also, thoughts inside dreams will be** **underlined!** **I couldn't really figure out any other way to do it, sorry!**

* * *

 _Stoatpaw padded through the familiar landscape of StarClan, his eyes open wide for any sign of Coppersnake. His white pelt glistened in the brilliant sunlight, and his blue eyes shone with confidence._

 _Almost two moons had passed since his fight with the fox. Two moons he'd been training with Coppersnake. And two moons he'd grown bigger, stronger, and angrier at Tigerpaw._

 _Coppersnake was right: almost every single night, the brown and white tom would run off to the OakClan border to be with his love. And Stoatpaw hated it. He hated seeing his brother just disregard the warrior code like this; it was one thing with Deerheart, because no one saw it coming, and her mate actually joined the clan. But Tigerpaw and Silverdust showed absolutely no sign of getting ready to join into one clan anytime soon! In fact, Stoatpaw was still unsure if they were actually in love, or they just liked the thought of being in love with another cat._

 _I've got to take my mind off of this,_ _Stoatpaw reasoned, shaking his head._ _Think about Coppersnake and your training. Think about how great and amazing you'll be once you're a warrior, Stoatpaw! Your ceremony is only a moon or so away!_

 _Similarly, Larkkit, Cloudkit, and Hollykit's apprentice ceremonies weren't far away either. In fact, they'd most likely be apprenticed on the day of Stoatpaw's warrior ceremony, if not a few days after._

 _Finally, he reached his training spot. He took it all in, realizing he'd never properly assessed it. It was a tiny little space of dirt in a great big field, right outside the grand forest that StarClan called home. In one corner was a small tree, along with a rock. Coppersnake would often sit on this rock, but today, she was nowhere to be found. He stood around awkwardly for a moment, observing his surroundings._

 _Suddenly, he was on the ground, hissing and spitting and shoving the lithe brown she-cat off of him. His fur was fluffed in anger. "Coppersnake! Don't startle me like that! Leaf bare's on it's way and I'm stressed enough! You're lucky I even_ show up _to your little training sessions!"_

 _"Dear Stoatpaw, you must always be expecting the unexpected." Coppersnake drawled, slinking towards him. He didn't like the way she looked at him, with her pelt shimmering and her eyes gleaming. He looked down nervously as he watched her unsheathe her claws. She reached up to touch his face with one of them, and he shied away from the touch. "My, how you've grown. Before, you were barely up to my shoulder. Now, you're practically as big as Falconstar himself."_

 _Stoatpaw looked away in embarrassment, which prompted another attack from Coppersnake. He fended her off, hissing as she hit the ground in front of him. He watched as she scratched her claws on the ground, just begging for a fight. Her tail whipped menacingly as he flinched._

 _He'd practiced with his claws unsheathed before with her, but this... this was different. If they were actually going to have a full-on scuffle with unsheathed claws, one of them could very easily die. And Stoatpaw had a feeling that he knew it would be him._

 _Well, I definitely would die, Coppersnake would just kind of... disappear? I actually have no idea what happens when a StarClan cat dies._ _Stoatpaw thought to himself._

 _"What's wrong, you scared of a little fight, Stoatpaw?" Coppersnake teased, dashing out with a paw. Stoatpaw dodged swiftly, anger bubbling in his blue eyes. No way was he scared. "C'mon, show me what I've taught you!"_

 _Stoatpaw's claws unsheathed as he launched himself at the StarClan cat. A frenzied yowl escaped her mouth as the two cats battled. Stoatpaw would strike out with his claws and wound Coppersnake, but ultimately, he lost the fight._

 _Covered in wounds, and praying that none of them showed up when he awoke, Stoatpaw stood, just in time to catch the frightened gaze of a tiny gray tabby with big, amber eyes._

 _Coppersnake immediately stopped licking her wounds and went over to the tiny cat. "Stoatpaw, can you believe you were this small once?" she chuckled, eyeing the gray tabby almost lovingly. "His name's Smokepaw. You're from...?"_

 _"I-I'm from HailClan." the apprentice gulped, looking back at Coppersnake. "I-I'm here... so I can help protect my clan. Beetlestar... he's not well, and all Sparrowpaw does is talk about how our clan is going to die. I-I don't want it to die."_

 _"How sad." Coppersnake said, pity lining her voice. "I do fear for your leader, Smokepaw, but we've got work to do. This here is Stoatpaw." Coppersnake gestured to the white tom, whose blue eyes widened. "He's from SteamClan."_

 _"Nice to meet you, Stoatpaw." Smokepaw said, standing up. "And wow! You fought like a warrior! Teach me some of those moves!"_

 _Coppersnake and Stoatpaw both chuckled. "In due time, young apprentice." Coppersnake told him. She whipped her tail through the air and declared, "Now, let this double training session begin!"_

* * *

Stoatpaw and Smokepaw both continued to train under Coppersnake for a long time, until every single night was a training session. When Stoatpaw wasn't with the she-cat, Smokepaw would train, and vice versa. Sometimes, they'd train together, but it was rare. And sometimes, he and Coppersnake would express their anger towards Tigerpaw for being such an arrogant mousebrain and romping around with an _OakClan_ warrior!

As the days turned colder and Stoatpaw had to struggle to hunt for SteamClan amidst all of the dead leaves that littered the ground, his warrior ceremony drew close and hit him in the nose. The nursery was full of boisterous kits, and he was almost sure that Larkkit, Holkykit, and Cloudkit would be apprenticed on the day he, Tigerpaw, and Mothpaw became warriors.

But, before any kind of warrior ceremony, there were assessments that needed to be done.

The first one was the battling assessment. He was finally pitched against a warrior, and lo and behold, it was Sandfoot. Tigerpaw battled Fuzzytail, and Mothpaw battled Sageberry, who took the day off from taking care of her kits to get out into the world and move her muscles a bit.

In Stoatpaw's mind, he battled fairly well. He managed to hold his own against Sandfoot, and the battle was declared a tie. Pride swelled inside Stoatpaw for the rest of the day.

The next was hunting. Stoatpaw was shivering the day of his assessment; he didn't want to take it, especially since the scent of prey would be masked by the scent of dead leaves. He had to keep reminding himself that he was in a _forest,_ and that dead leaves were _natural_. That, and the thought of some cat watching his every move disturbed him. The fact that it was Leafclaw made it even more disturbing.

Between both assessments, he trained with Coppersnake. The she-cat was becoming more and more excited as his warrior ceremony drew close, and although he didn't want to admit it, he was feeling pretty confident that he'd make a fine warrior. Maybe... maybe even _leader_ someday!

Days passed, and between his assessments and training with Coppersnake, he grew very tired. Finally, after every single assessment was over, Stoatpaw, Mothpaw, and Tigerpaw got to relax by cleaning out the elder's den. Stoatpaw was used to it; when not playing with the kits or training or on patrols, he was cleaning out the elder's den. Personally, he loved it; he loved being around the elders, as they were the quirkiest cats he'd ever met. But, he'd never admit it to anyone.

Three days had passed since their assessment, and Mothpaw was getting antsy. "Oh man, I just want to be a warrior already! Can't Wheatstar hurry up and make us warriors already?"

Tigerpaw sat up. The three apprentices were sitting in the den, resting after their gruesome assessments. They could hear Mossfang giving out patrol numbers to all of the warriors, and all three longed for the day that their _warrior_ name would be called. Stoatpaw was still nursing scratches inflicted by both Coppersnake and Smokepaw. _Since when was an apprentice like that so strong? I was never that strong; in fact, I'm still a little pudgy!_ Stoatpaw thought. He watched as Tigerpaw turned to answer Mothpaw.

"Just wait, okay? Maybe they're still deciding on names, or maybe they just can't decide who'll become a warrior first. Maybe they're deciding on mentors for Larkkit, Hollykit, and Cloud-" he stopped mid-sentence as a loud voice rang out through the cave.

"All cats old enough to swim in the hot springs, gather beneath the Hot Spring's Paw for a clan meeting!"

The three apprentices looked at each other, before hastily grooming their fur.

"I didn't realize that she'd call us to become warriors that quickly!" Mothpaw wailed.

"Just stop chatting and keep grooming!" Tigerpaw shouted back.

 _Tigerpaw's become... really laid back._ Stoatpaw observed between the shouting. _I hope he stays this way, because it's a lot better than him being an arrogant mousebrain all the time!_

All three apprentices were eventually groomed, and went out to gather with the other warriors. Stoatpaw saw Mossfang look down at Tigerpaw with an approving nod, then do the same to Stoatpaw. Pride swelled in the small white tom.

Wheatstar cleared her throat. "Today, we are here to celebrate three new warriors into our ranks." Wheatstar turned her head down to face Tigerpaw. "Tigerpaw, please come forward."

 _Oh boy, Tigerpaw's going first!_ Stoatpaw listened eagerly as Wheatstar went through the ceremony almost religiously.

"Tigerpaw, do you promise to uphold the beliefs of the warrior code, to follow it at all times, and serve your clan faithfully until death?" Wheatstar spoke.

Tigerpaw hesitated, then nodded. Stoatpaw flashed back to the times that Coppersnake had showed him Tigerpaw and Silverdust romping around at night. "I do."

Wheatstar cleared her throat. "Tigerpaw, we honor you for you strength and skill in battle. From now on, you will be known as Tigerlight. SteamClan welcomes you as a new warrior."

Tigerpaw, now Tigerlight, stepped back, practically beaming. Wheatstar turned her head to Mothpaw, who was shaking in her spot. The tiny golden she-cat stepped forward, her silver eyes gleaming.

"Mothpaw, you came from an outside clan, brought here by your father. Do you promise to serve SteamClan as a loyal warrior, and to uphold the code at all costs?" Wheatstar seemed to emphasize the fact that she was half HailClan.

Mothpaw nodded, a bit too eagerly. Stoatpaw felt a pang for her; a teeny, tiny part of him might have liked her once, and it might not have gone away. Watching her become a warrior, the feeling came back full force, and it irritated him. He liked how happy Mothpaw seemed, how relieved and triumphant she seemed. He brushed the feeling away, telling himself to stop thinking about Mothpaw like that. "I do."

Wheatstar's green eyes gleamed. "Then, by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Mothpaw, you shall now be known as Mothwhisker. We honor your loyalty and independence. Welcome, new warrior."

Mothwhisker stepped back, glancing at Stoatpaw. She was beaming. This is the happiest moment of her life, Stoatpaw thought, completely ignoring the fact that Wheatstar had asked him to come forward.

"Stoatpaw, come forward!" she said, a little more sternly. Stoatpaw hastily stepped forward, embarrassment lining his face. It was soon replaced with eagerness as Wheatstar began her speech.

"Stoatpaw, today, you must be very proud. You are becoming a warrior. Just a few moons ago, you helped alert the clan of a deadly enemy lurking underneath our noses. A few moons ago, you helped discover and eradicated a fox by being brave and risking your life for your clan." Stoatpaw shrunk under her gaze; why did she have to bring up _that_ event? No warrior was pleased with him or Mothpaw! "With that, do you promise to uphold the warrior code at all costs, and to fight for the safety of your clan, even if the cost is death?" Wheatstar's voice was commanding here. It made Stoatpaw jittery.

His mouth was dry. "I-I do."

Wheatstar's eyes sparkled. "Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. You will no longer be known as Stoatpaw, but rather, as Stoatclaw. We honor you for your determination and initiative. I welcome you as a warrior."

Stoatclaw stepped back, shaking. He was a warrior. A warrior! He looked around as cats all around him chanted his name. Was Coppersnake watching? He hoped she was!

Wheatstar quieted the clan once more. "New warriors, tonight, you will guard the clan. Go up to the mouth of the cave and watch for enemies throughout the night. You may not speak during this time."

Stoatclaw, Tigerlight, and Mothwhisker nodded; they exchanged glances of happiness. They were finally warriors!

Stoatclaw turned to face the mouth of the cave. _Only one more obstacle in my way._ he thought.

* * *

The night was cold. They'd all decided to take shifts, and somehow, it was just Stoatclaw awake while Tigerlight and Mothwhisker slept soundly next to each other.

He hated it.

Watching for enemies, he tried not to shiver as the cold night breeze swept past. He was almost sure that no cat would show up, and no enemy either. I bet no one would care if I just... closed my eyes for a little bit...

"Stoatpaw."

Stoatclaw's eyes flew open as he saw the sparkling form of Coppersnake in front of him. She looked angry. "What are they doing, sending an apprentice out to guard the clan against dangers?"

Stoatclaw itched to speak. He knew he couldn't talk, but... no one was watching. Tigerlight and Mothwhisker were both asleep. He looked back into the dark depths of the cave; there was no hint of any cat awake. It was just him.

He cleared his throat and whispered, "Coppersnake, I'm a warrior now. Wheatstar gave me my warrior name!"

Coppersnake's eyes slowly widened. Her expression went from 'I will rip someone's throat out, this is unacceptable' to 'Look! My sweet baby's all grown up!'

Coppersnake thrust her head forward to lick Stoatclaw's cheek. She was purring like her kit had just caught a juicy mouse on its first hunt. "Oh, that's wonderful! I guess I should stop calling you Stoatpaw... what's your new name?"

"Stoatclaw. Tigerpaw is Tigerlight, and Mothpaw is Mothwhisker." Stoatclaw explained. Coppersnake looked away, thinking, before nodding her head.

"Okay, thank you, Stoatclaw. I hope to see you in your dreams." Coppersnake said, swishing her tail. "I think you and Smokepaw may be accompanied by an OakClan apprentice... I think her name was Riverpaw? I saw her in her dreams, but she might be coming sometime soon."

"Coppersnake, why are you just now mentoring all these cats?" Stoatclaw asked, standing. His blue eyes were questioning, and Coppersnake avoided his gaze. "First it was just me, but now it's more cats. Are you _planning_ on something?"

"HollowClan and HailClan are at war, Stoatclaw." Coppersnake meowed, turning away. Stoatclaw watched as her shoulders heaved... was one of these clans her home clan? "That war is going to prove to be horrible, but... there is something that lead to the division between the leaders. Why Beetlestar and Jaystar hate each other."

Stoatclaw took a step forward, his eyes full of hope. "And what reason is that?"

Coppersnake spun around. For the first time, Stoatclaw noticed how the fire that burned in her eyes was almost maniacle. A grim look of pleasure settled across her face, and Stoatclaw's heart skipped a beat. The stars that glimmered in her pelt could barely be seen as she hissed gleefully, "All in due time, Stoatclaw. You will know... soon. Just follow the code."

Stoatclaw watched her fade, and he was left to sit in darkness, waiting for the sun to rise as his partners slept on.

* * *

 **Aaand that was chapter 21! Oh boy, warrior names!**

 **Here's a question: Are you satisfied with Stoatpaw, Tigerpaw, and Mothpaw's names? What would you have named them? Place your response in a review!**

 **This chapter was beta'd by the wonderful SilverMidnightMoon! Go check her out, and thank you so much!**


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